Tennis

Murray survives Istomin to reach US Open quarters

On a day when U.S. Open top seeds Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams weren’t challenged in the slightest, defending champion Andy Murray was tested by Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin and his own inconsistency, forced to gut out a 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 victory last night to reach the quarterfinals.

“I’m in the quarterfinal of a Slam.,” said Murray, who was hardly at his best in the first night appearance in Arthur Ashe Stadium of his title defense. “The matches are going to get tougher. I have to raise my game,’’

Up 5-3 in tiebreak and serving for the first set, Murray committed three errors to drop his second set of this U.S. Open. He committed 46 unforced errors — including a hilarious missed overhand spike with the court all but open — and seemed distracted, even jawing with the umpire in the third set. But when pushed, the 26-year-old Brit pushed back.

Tested as Rafael Nadal had been the night before, Murray dealt with gusting winds, a stiff back and his own visible ire at a couple of questionable line calls. But tied 4-all in the fourth set, Murray broke with a serendipitous shot that he shanked high into the gusting winds, only to see Istomin misplay it and give him the game.

In the end, Murray survived a tougher-than expected three-hour, seven-minute match, putting it away with an easy forehand volley and fist pump.

“I’m just a bit stiff today,” he said. “ It was very cold on the court, extremely windy. Very different conditions to the last couple days. I wanted to just try and get through the match. In the end it was difficult conditions, extremely windy. The way he plays … he made it very difficult for me. With the way the third set was going, I was just happy to get it done because he had chances.’’

Murray advanced to face ninth-seeded Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka, who knocked off No. 5 Tomas Berdych 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (8-6), 6-2.

“He’s improved quite a bit,’’ Murray said of Wawrinka. “He has less weaknesses. He’s more experienced now. He has a very good backhand, he serves well, he’s solid up at the net. He makes it very tricky for you. He’s a top player. It’s going to be a very tough match for me.

“He’s played great tennis the whole year. He’s ranked eighth or ninth in the world. He’s probably going to go higher after this tournament, so it’ll be very tough. He’s a very talented player.”

Said Wawrinka: “I think I am playing my best tennis ever. I had a tough beginning of the year, but at the same time it was really good for me because I was playing good tennis. [Murray] is playing really well, won Wimbledon … To beat him I need to play my best tennis, that’s for sure; start the match [well] to show him I am going to be there.’’