Tenth-seeded Pliskova, who survived a match point in her fourth-round victory over sixth-seeded Venus Williams.
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That came after Murray fell to Japan’s Kei Nishikori in a five-setter that lasted almost four hours.
Facing an opponent who occasionally played as if he had somewhere better to be, Novak Djokovic reached his 21st Grand Slam final and seventh at the U.S. Open with a freaky 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 victory over Gael Monfils on Friday.
“I will need a lot of energy for that tie”, said Murray, who caught a late-night flight home within hours of his 1-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 defeat by Nishikori. The first half of the set, played in normal outdoors, saw Nishikori lose serve to go 2-3 but when the scores were 3-3 and 40-30 in favor of the Japanese, rains arrived.
Asked whether she expected to get some advice from her sibling before facing Pliskova, the younger Williams said: “I’m sure she will tell me something. I was focused purely on this week [at the Open] and obviously wanted to go further”.
Then it started to rain, forcing a suspension of play as the roof was closed over Arthur Ashe Stadium. He beat Nishikori in straight sets in the semifinals at Rio de Janeiro, part of a 7-1 head-to-head edge for Murray coming into Wednesday.
“In the beginning I didn’t start well – he has a great return – but I finished well. He was playing a bit closer to the baseline than me and taking the ball on a little bit more”, said the second seed. “In the fourth and fifth sets I think I played some of the best tennis”. “I lost my serve a couple of times from positions when I was up in the game”.
“It was so exciting on the court but I tried to stay calm”. I think that’s the most important thing I did today. “But I’m still going to hope that there is going to be some chance in the match where I can get my chance and be the one who is playing aggressive”. She routed unseeded Anastasija Sevastova 6-0, 6-2 in the semifinals and has lost one set in the tournament.
Czech Karolina Pliskova blew past Croatian teenager Ana Konjuh 6-2, 6-2 on Wednesday to reach the US Open semi-finals.
This is a great opportunity for me, to come in the semi-final here again.
Waiting for the 26-year-old next will be either 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro or third seed Stan Wawrinka.
Although the Scot brought the score back to 2-2 in the fifth set and recovered another break to level at 4-4, Nishikori kept his nerve and made his final break to lead 6-5 before serving out. I guess that’s just how I got out of bed this morning.
Australian and French Open victor Wawrinka’s last game was delayed while the crowd saluted the popular del Potro, who missed the past two US Opens because of three wrist operations. I definitely wanted to do some more ‘Come ons.’ I don’t know why.
“I pushed myself as hard as I could over the last few months and I’m very proud of how I have done”, Murray said. But Wawrinka broke back, saved four break points at 3-all, another pair at 4-all, then broke Nishikori in the last game to grab the second set 7-5.
During the difficulties she encountered in the second set of her quarterfinal – Williams went 0 for 12 on break points – there never was the sort of emotional display she is famous for.
They traded breaks back-and-forth throughout, but it was Nishikori who secured the last one as he catapulted into his second U.S. Open semifinal in three years.
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This time, Nishikori came through.
