There may be a roof at the US Open this year but the rain can still be a turning point, as Andy Murray discovered to his detriment.
Cruising for most of the first set and a half against Kei Nishikori, when the roof was shut at 3-3 in the second it changed the entire complexion of the quarterfinal and the Japanese shotmaker rallied to defeat the world’s most in-form tennis player 1-6 6-4 4-6 6-1 7-5 in four hours.
A sound similar to a gong that reverberated around Arthur Ashe stadium during a key point in the fourth set also unsettled world No. 2 Murray, who just last month crushed the 2014 US Open finalist en route to a historic second Olympic singles gold medal.
Murray had won 26 of his last 27 matches to close the gap in ranking points on top-ranked Novak Djokovic and was keen to earn the No. 1 position at some stage this year. His unexpected reverse is a major setback.
Nishikori, meanwhile, ended an 0-for-12 slump against top-two opposition. Not since beating Djokovic on a sweltering day in New York two years ago had he toppled a world No. 1 or No. 2.
He will face either twice grand slam winner Stan Wawrinka or 2009 tournament champion Juan Martin del Potro in the last four.
“There were many ups and downs,” Nishikori, ranked seventh, told the crowd. “It was a tough start. I didn’t start very well. In the end I (played) great tennis, so I’m very happy.”
Door CNN.com
