Andy Murray vs. Kei Nishikori: Score and Reaction from 2016 US Open

Kei Nishikori advanced to his second U.S. Open semifinal after beating Andy Murray in five sets, 1-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5, on Wednesday evening in Flushing Meadows, New York.

Nishikori’s last trip to the semifinals came in 2014, when he finished runner-up to Marin Cilic. He’s the third player to seal passage to the next round, with Novak Djokovic and Gael Monfils advancing Tuesday. Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim thought the 26-year-old Japanese star made a major statement with the win:

A career win for Nishikori. Dropped three straights games in fifth, broke at 5-5 and served it out. Mental and physical durability, that.

— Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) September 7, 2016

Early on, it looked like Murray might breeze through an easy match. Nishikori was thoroughly out of sorts in the first set. He committed 14 unforced errors, twice the number of his winners (seven), and won only two of his 10 second-service points.

After Murray earned a break in the fourth game, Nishikori pressed and attempted far too much with his groundstrokes from the baseline. Rather than simply extending points, he tried to work nearly impossible angles to find winners. His high number of unforced errors is evidence of how the strategy worked out.

To his credit, Murray didn’t take his foot off the gas and give Nishikori an opportunity to get back into the set. The 2012 U.S. Open champion mixed up his shots well, which kept Nishikori guessing.

U.S. Open Tennis noted why getting an early lead in the match boded well for Murray:

In all seven of his wins vs. #Nishikori, Andy #Murray’s won the first set. He leads in the first, 4-1. #usopen pic.twitter.com/8b0TpTbdLt

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 7, 2016

The set break allowed Nishikori to reset, and he was a different player in the second frame. After Murray earned a service break in the fifth game, though, Sky Sports’ David Garrido thought the …

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