Men’s U.S. Open Quarterfinals Set as Murray Advances to Face Wawrinka
Andy Murray started slow, but then took control to win a tough four-setter against Dennis Istomin 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 in three hours and seven minutes and advanced to the quarterfinals for the third year in a row Tuesday night at the U.S. Open. Murray improved his record in the majors this year to 17-1. Istomin, the 26-year-old world number 65 who has been coached by his mother Klaudiya since his junior days, put up a great fight early, but couldn’t keep it going.
"I wanted to just try and get through the match. In the end it was difficult conditions," said Murray. "It was extremely windy. With the way he plays, he hits the ball pretty big and flat on both sides … strokes pretty low, hard at times to control. He made it very difficult for me."
Up next for Murray is Stanislas Wawrinka, who came back from a set down to defeat Tomas Berdych to reach the quarterfinals 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(6), 6-2 in two hours and 47 minutes on Louis Armstrong Stadium Court. Wawrinka was extremely aggressive and hit 68 winners through the four sets. He closed out the match by breaking Berdych`s serve for the sixth time.
"Today, I was really confident with my game, and I was playing really good," said Wawrinka. "I think it was my best match against Tomas. It’s never easy to play him, but I did a good job. I was feeling really better than him."
On facing Wawrinka, Murray said. "He’s a very tough player. He’s been playing great tennis for years and will go higher in the rankings after this tournament. We played on this court a few years back when we were much younger, but a lot has changed since then."
