Cheers, Andy: Murray knocked out in fourth round

NEW YORK – Andy Murray is out of the U.S. Open, the second top-4 seed to fall early in Flushing Meadows. Murray lost 7-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 in the tournament’s longest match yet.

No. 15 Kevin Anderson took the first two sets, but that’s never a reason to count Murray out. He’s rallied from a two-set hole eight times. When he forced and won a third-set tiebreak it looked like he might once again pull it off.

Murray pushed the fourth set to a tiebreak, too, but there the comeback fell short. Anderson took seven straight points in the tiebreak to advance to the quarterfinal. 

Murray, the 2012 champion, had made it to the quarterfinals in his last 18 Grand Slams.

This was Anderson’s first fourth-round appearance at the U.S. Open. He was 0-7 in the fourth round at the other Grand Slams, and had never beaten a top-10 player at a major in 15 attempts.

“To get through to the quarterfinals here in New York for the first time feells just amazing,” Anderson said on court after the win. “I just stayed with him. Obviously it was disappointing in the third set…but I wish I could play every tiebreak like that [fourth set tiebreak].”

Coming into the match, Anderson had served more aces than any other man in the tournament and had only been broken once in 54 service games. He added 25 aces on Monday, and only allowed Murray to convert three of his 11 break point opportunities.

Anderson will face No. 5 Stan Wawrinka in the next round. Wawrinka advanced with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over American Donald Young earlier Monday.