The U.S. Open’s serve-speed readout board told the world that Andy Murray smacked a serve at 141 miles per hour.
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Murray is set for a more testing encounter against Nishikori, who is one of the fittest players on tour, but he holds an excellent record against the world number seven.
A double break in the second kept Murray firmly in control.
Murray went 0-40 down in the opening game but held serve after winning the next five points.
The 29-year-old’s argument centred on the sound occurring once before in the contest but he claimed play had previously been allowed to continue.
‘He played some good stuff at the Olympics and won the bronze, ‘ said Murray.
“(Referee) Wayne McKewen told me that it happened four times during the match that the speakers had gone off like that.
“That was the one thing that I wasn’t happy with against [Paolo] Lorenzi”.
“Did it affect me?” Both players have been playing excellent tennis this year, but it is quite obvious Murray has the upper hand here.
“I think it was lucky because I only did it once and I’m not expecting to do it again”. There was a lot of time after then.
“I served one at 145 in San Jose once but the next day they recalibrated the gun because it was completely wrong. That was the difference”. Del Potro was leading 6-3, 3-2 with a break in the second set. I know I plan on it. But Murray would save each of the break point chances, yet it was just the start of the topsy-turvy nature of the match.
Murray began his streak as he often does, by making his opponent play one more ball.
The Davis Cup tie begins at the Emirates Arena on September 16, only five days after the final in NY.
The three-time major champion twice broke back in a thrilling decider but was unable to escape a third time. “It’s not that I didn’t try”, he said. “I’m doing in a good way because I’m playing good tennis”. “It’s an unbelievable court to play on and a fantastic atmosphere all the time”. I wanted too make sure today if I got ahead, I stayed on top of him, I didn’t have any dip in concentration or my level.
Also through are Stan Wawrinka and Juan Martin del Potro, who will face each other in the other quarter-final, after seeing off Illya Marchenko and Dominic Thiem respectively.
“Andy right now is the best player out there”, Dimitrov said.
“It was tough to lose that third set but I am looking at the big picture”, said 31-year-old Wawrinka, whose 49 winners helped offset his 41 unforced errors. The world No24 has never won a match from two sets down, while Murray had won his previous 124 Grand Slam matches after taking the first two sets.
That is the first set Williams has lost in five matches at Flushing Meadows this year. “I served a bunch in the low 130s, mid-130s, which was good”.
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It was a almost flawless day for Nishikori, who had a mere three unforced errors through two sets.
