US Open 2016 Day 10: Kei Nishikori Upsets Andy Murray, Serena Advances To Semifinals

Kei Nishikori earned his biggest victory of 2016 on Wednesday, defeating No. 2-seed Andy Murray 1-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 in the U.S. Open Quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows.

US Open 2016 Day 10: Kei Nishikori Upsets Andy Murray, Serena Advances To Semifinals

Nishikori, the No. 6-seed from Japan, won the five-set match against the Scottish superstar in just under four hours at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“It was tough to stay calm,” said Nishikori, 26. “He started very well in the beginning, there were a lot of ups and downs in the match. But I’m very happy to win.”

The opening set proved to be an easy win for Murray, as his Japanese opponent struggled to find the range on his shots. Nishikori made 14 errors in seven games, and Murray went on a five-game run, breaking Nishikori twice and recording an ace on set point to gain an early lead.

The second set was marked by two brief rain delays by the time the score reached 3-3. When play resumed, Nishikori struck first, serving at 4-5 to level the match.

Just when it seemed Murray could take the match, his emotions got the best of him. Murray seemed angry after a loud noise that sounded like a ‘gong’ rang out, the umpire decided to replay a point at 1-1 in the fourth set, with Murray holding break point on Nishikori’s serve. The Scot seemed to lose his focus, and Nishikori cruised through the next four games and forced a deciding set.

Nishikori twice went up a break in the fifth set, but Murray didn’t give in immediately, leveling the match at 2-2 and again at 4-4. The Japanese star gained a third break at 5-5, earning a break-point chance off a double fault from Murray and then converting on it with a stab volley winner. He held serve in the following game to move into the US Open semifinals for the second time in his career.

Nishikori will next go up against third-seeded Swiss Stan Wawrinka, who defeated Argentina’s Juan Martin Del Potro 7-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Novak Djokovic and 10th-seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils will face off in Friday’s other semifinal.

Following his win against Murray, Nishikori is now 5-0 against Top 10 players at the U.S. Open.

On the women’s side, top-seed Serena Williams advanced to the semifinals after seeing off fifth-ranked Romanian Simona Halep 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 on Wednesday. She will next face 10th-seeded Czech Karolína Plíšková, who beat Croatian Ana Konjuh, in Thursday night’s first semifinal. Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniacki will face off in the second women’s semifinal.

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 07: Kei Nishikori of Japan returns a shot to Andy Murray of Great Britain during their Men’s Singles Quarterfinal match on Day Ten of the 2016 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 7, 2016 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Article by Pablo Mena