Cilic, on the the other hand, has also thrown himself into the mix as an outside contender for a second US Open win.
Advertisement
Murray claimed his 50th win of the season and is nearing his fifth trophy of 2016.
Raonic then made the best of the cross-court running in a hustling rally but Murray stood firm to wrap up the first set with another break.
Kerber and Halep last met in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon, where the German prevailed in two tight sets, but Halep has not lost a match since en route to victories at the BRD Bucharest Open and the Rogers Cup in Montreal. “It totally changes how it feels on the racket and how it feels through your body as well”. I keep saying over and over that Murray is playing the best tennis of his career, and his shotmaking and defense have been jaw dropping during this stretch. It’s just at the start it was a bit sore.
“I was serving really well with one racquet, so I stayed with it the entire match, and was switching on my return games to see if I could improve there”.
Raonic had finally forced a third break point for the match as a result, but indicative of his night, drove Murray’s relatively tame second serve into the net.
Rafael Nadal has revealed that the wrist injury that he sustained during the French Open still continues to bother him despite ending a two-and-a-half month hiatus at the Rio Olympics.
“I certainly didn’t expect to get to the final when I got here but overall it was a very, very positive week. It’s going to come down to a few important points, playing them better, and obviously executing better than I did on my end of things when it comes to my service games than I did today”. “I’m so happy to have beaten such a tough player”.
The Scot will play either Croatia’s Marin Cilic or Grigor Dimitrov – the latter is unseeded here – in Sunday’s final.
Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., had 12 aces compared to the 20 that Isner produced.
Cilic served out the match in his first try, converting his second championship point and unleashing a celebration that was every bit as emphatic as his performance.
Williams has been the number one for 183 straight weeks. “If the time is ready and I can reach the No. 1, of course it will be wonderful”.
The world No. 11 said pain was restricting his mobility and that this was not the time to get injured. I hope tomorrow I’ll play a good match and I know I’ll have a good chance if I play well. I felt the game and the balls were a little bit heavier because of the rain and the humidity. “Today there were tough, tricky conditions with the wind”, Murray said at the post-match press conference.
Murray will get a week’s rest before NY, with few regrets over the summer.
Advertisement
Rain delayed the start of play for 90 minutes.
