Andy Murray’s annus mirabilis continued on Monday night at Flushing Meadows in NY, as the world number two demolished Grigor Dimitrov to reach the U.S. Open quarter-finals.
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Davis Cup captain Leon Smith will be particularly interested in Murray’s energy levels ahead of Great Britain’s semi-final against Argentina next week, but he believes the world number two can outlast his rivals in NY.
When Dimitrov hit one forehand long in the second set, he tried to kick it away, soccer style, as it came back to him from Murray but he even missed that one.
“I think that was lucky, I only did it once”. “Tonight is the fastest serve I’ve hit. So I’m not expecting to do it again”. Very few unforced errors and made it tough for Grigor.
“I slowed things down, my unforced errors went down, my winners went up, and the scoreboard then worked in my favour as well”. I enjoy it in here [on Arthur Ashe Court], fantastic atmosphere. “So I was all the time a little bit handicapped”.
The other quarter-final in Murray’s side of the draw is between big-htting Rio 2016 finalist Juan Martin Del Potro and two-time Grand Slam victor Stan Wawrinka.
Murray won eight games in a row at one point bridging the first and second sets and broke Dimitrov seven times altogether.
Wawrinka next faces 2009 US Open champ Juan Martin del Potro, who beat Wawrinka at Wimbledon this year. I mean, I don’t think he started the match, like, really badly.
“What I like most about practising with them is I have a responsibility to work hard and push myself”, said the Scot.
Making it look easy: Andy Murray comfortably defeated Grigor Dimitrov.
After collecting the first set, the Scot would surge 3-0 up in the second and briefly exchanged breaks with Dimitrov before serving out for a two-nil lead in the match. “I got the power from the crowd in every match”.
The 142nd-ranked del Potro was leading No 8 seed Dominic Thiem 6-3, 3-2 when the Austrian retired with a right knee injury.
Murray will turn his attention to his own game on Monday, when he takes on a resurgent Dimitrov for a place in the last eight. I fell in love with tennis again.
Murray plays down the role he’s played in developing Edmund and Evans, insisting that they deserve all the credit for turning themselves into world class players. I let him back into the match after I got a break early in the second.
Murray is attempting to reach the finals of all four majors for the first time in his career.
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Stanislav Wawrinka, a two-time Grand Slam victor and twice a semi-finalist in NY, had the closest call, saving a match point in a 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (10/8), 6-2 victory over Britain’s Dan Evans.
