ANDY Murray won nine of 10 games to start and overwhelmed Grigor Dimitrov 6-1 6-2 6-2 at the US Open today to reach the quarter-finals for the 22nd time in his past 23 grand slam tournaments.
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Murray didn’t let up on the Bulgarian who came in with high hopes after a turnaround summer and previous wins over Murray in Miami and two years ago at Wimbledon. The second seed dismissed the No. 22-seeded Dimitrov in two hours in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Reflecting on his demolition of Dimitrov, Murray said: “I played extremely well, I served very well when I was behind”.
On his record-breaking serve, Murray added: “I served one at 145 in San Jose once but the next day they recalibrated the gun because it was completely wrong. I played a good match against him a few weeks ago [in the semi-finals of the Olympics en route to the gold medal] and I’ll need to play like that again”.
“I think that was lucky – I only did it once, I don’t expect to do it again”. He broke in the first game of the second with a whipped forehand victor, and again in the third to lead 3-0, as a sleepy crowd began to wonder if Dimitrov would ever get on the board.
And he will face Kei Nishikori in the last eight as he continues his quest for a second US Open crown.
“It’s never easy, [facing] someone serving like Ivo. Everything can happen. So I will try to be there”.
“Now I have to hit my backhand even better than today for my next match”. I’m doing in a good way because I’m playing good tennis.
As Williams, never seriously challenged in a 6-2, 6-3 victory over 52nd-ranked Yaroslava Shvedova, sailed on, one of the two players with a chance to topple her from the world No 1 spot in this tournament bowed out as fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska was shocked 6-4, 6-4 by 18-year-old Croatian Ana Konjuh.
Wawrinka, a former Australian and French Open champion, reached a fourth successive quarter-final in NY with a hard-fought 6-4, 6-1, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3 win over Illya Marchenko, the world No 63 from Ukraine.
If both Kerber and Serena make the championship match, the American will have to win to extend her reign.
Del Potro made it to the last eight after Thiem was forced to retire due to injury. Overcome him, and the Scot will face either two-time Grand Slam victor Stan Wawrinka or a rejuvenated Juan Martin del Potro. His serve, which went missing for two sets against Lorenzi, clicked to pleasing effect, and there was little his opponent could do to get back into the contest.
They were on serve three games into the first set, when Dimitrov lost serve after he netted an overhead smash, a precursor to his poor evening full of loose serves and unforced errors.
After going down a break early in the fourth, Wawrinka took his frustrations out on his racquet.
Complacency did not strike for the 29-year-old though, as he sealed success by taking the third and final set 6-2.
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Nishikori, who became the first Asian to reach a grand slam men’s final two years ago in Flushing Meadows, has had a strong season, including a run to the quarters at the Australian Open before falling to eventual victor Novak Djokovic.
