Murray and Djokovic into last eight

 

Originally published on: 04/09/13 00:00

Defending champion Murray battled to a 6-7(5) 6-1 6-4 6-4 win against world No.65 Denis Istomin, while Djokovic encountered little resistance against Marcel Granollers as he raced past the Spaniard 6-3 6-0 6-0.

Murray, playing a night session match on Arthur Ashe Stadium for the first time this year, was not as his best as he struggled with the windy conditions, but never looked in danger of defeat as he finally wrapped up victory shortly before midnight in New York.

"I wanted to just try and get through the match," Murray said. "In the end it was difficult conditions. It was extremely windy today. "With the way he plays, he hits the ball pretty big and flat on both sides, strokes pretty low, hard at times to control."

Next up for Murray will be ninth seed Stanislas Wawrinka, who upset Murray’s semi-final opponent from last year, Tomas Berdych 3-6 6-1 7-6(6) 6-2.

Wawrinka stunned Murray in the US Open third round back in 2010, and won their most recent encounter in Monte Carlo earlier this year. The Scot leads the head-to-head 8-5, but Murray will not be taking anything for granted.

"He's improved I think this year quite a bit," Murray said of Wawrinka. "He has fewer weaknesses. He's more experienced now. He has a very good backhand. He serves well. He's solid up at the net. He makes a lot of returns. He makes it very tricky for you. He's a top player. It will be a very tough match for me."

Djokovic, meanwhile, will face Mikhail Youzhny in the quarter-finals after the Russian ended Lleyton Hewitt’s run at Flushing Meadows, winning a gruelling five-setter 6-3 3-6 6-7(3) 6-4 7-5 to defeat the 2001 champion.

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