Andy Murray US Open preview: Swiss No.1 is next for the champion.. but it's not Federer
Andy Murray US Open preview: Swiss No.1 is next for the champion.. but it's not Federer
World No.10 Stanislas Wawrinka has lasted longer than his legendary countryman and now stands between Brit and the semis
Stuck in neutral? Will Murray beat Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka?
AFP
The best Swiss player at the US Open stands between Andy Murray and a place in the semi-finals, writes Colin Duncan in New York .
But for the first time in the Scot’s Grand Slam career, that man is not Roger Federer.
The
17-time Major championship winner was bundled out in the fourth round,
while Murray marched on with a four-set win over Denis Istomin, 6-7 6-1
6-4 6-4.
But that does not mean Murray will have an easy ride as
he faces a quarter-final showdown with Federer’s countryman Stanislas
Wawrinka, who has knocked him out of this tournament before.
Wawrinka is No.10 in the world, but his ranking is all set to rise after the tournament.
He
said: “I am sure Murray will not be 100 per cent confident because he
knows how well I can play. I am approaching my peak, but even if I play
my best match I can still lose – he is the top of the tops.”
Murray has struggled in his first four matches, and found it difficult against Istomin in cold and windy conditions.
But he said: “Hopefully I’ll start playing a little bit better from now on.
“You don’t want to be playing your best tennis at the start of the tournament.
“Sometimes the first week of a slam I’ve played very well and sometimes you maybe feel like there’s a little bit to lose.
“But I’m in the last eight, and the matches are going to get tougher. I’ll have to up my game.” Eiger feat: Wawrinka beat Murray at the US Open three years ago
Clive Brunskill
Wawrinka has caused problems for the Brit in the past, and
dished out a painful beating in the third round at Flushing Meadows in
2010.
Murray added: “I didn’t play particularly well and I did go away from that match a bit down.
“But I played him here in a night match and did really well.
“I’ll
need to play a good match because he’s improved quite a bit.He has
fewer weaknesses and is more experienced now. It will be a very tough
game.
“If you look at the results this year, it’s a fair
indication of how things are going, and he’s probably not that far
behind Roger.”
Murray v Wawrinka: Facts and figures
The
two right-handers have met 13 times, but their most famous battle was
at Wimbledon in 2009. Their fourth-round tie was the first game to be
played under the new roof on Centre Court. The match, which lasted 3hrs
59mins, finished at 10.41pm.
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