Andy Murray crashes out of US Open to Kei Nishikori

Andy Murray’s golden summer run crashed to earth on day ten of the 2016 US Open when he squandered early dominance against Kei Nishikori, whom he had lost to once in eight matches but who found the will and strength to grind out a gruelling five-set win for a place in the semi-finals.

What had looked like a quick night’s work for the world No2 descended into a pain-filled struggle, one marred by controversy, a stray butterfly and his own inability to counter his opponent’s artful play.

Murray hit 46 unforced errors, not disastrous but, allied to a serve that never quite hit the heights of previous matches here, giving Nishikori too much latitude to build his game. Murray had his chances converting eight of 15 break points, but the Japanese world No7 made more of the key moments.

Nishikori, a losing finalist against Marin Cilic here two years ago, was well worth his 1-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 win in three hours and 57 minutes on Arthur Ashe Court – with the roof ludicrously shut after a brief drizzle.

Murray will remember it for many ups and downs, not least the let and replayed point called against him in the fourth set – the result of an electrical malfunction in the court’s sound system that set off a loud, distracting noise – which seriously unsettled him and contributed significantly to a dramatic loss of focus and, ultimately, the match.

Nishikori, who drop-shotted Murray to distraction, said: “I tried to hit a little more drop shots than usual. I know he stays back. It worked really well.”

Murray said: “I wasn’t too disappointed. I’ve had a good few months. I’m sorry not to have won but there you go.”

Familiar patterns emerged early. Nishikori smoked his ground strokes from the first rally but the Scot saved three break points and held with an ace. Early in the first set Murray seemed distracted (a phrase oft repeated) by a minor noise from the PA system. He complained to the chair umpire, Marija Cicak, who told him they would have to play through the interruptions. It was a pledge Murray would not forget.

He wrapped up the first set with a 133mph ace and all seemed well. Receiving, Nishikori looked like someone at the wrong end of a shooting gallery.

A few drops of rain threatened a roof closure but they played on after a brief pause. Nishikori heaved his shoulders in frustration and thought about bashing his racket into the court as he threw away his serve for 2-3 in the second.

After a little more than an hour it was not going well for him. But Murray gave up three break points in the sixth game and Nishikori cashed in with a searing crosscourt forehand to break back.

At 3-all, 40-30 on Nishikori’s serve, the rain returned. After 71 minutes of outdoor tennis they closed the roof. When they returned, Nishikori won the point and they were on level terms – with the sun shining outside.What is officially an open-air tournament now presented an important quarter-final as an indoor match and in the next 20 minutes everything changed. Nishikori, revitalised and refocused, upped his game and broke Murray’s serve to level at a set apiece.

An exchange of breaks at the start of the third did not encourage wholesale confidence in either player. A third double fault of the match for Nishikori handed Murray his eighth break point in the seventh game and he happily watched his opponent’s loose backhand stray wide to hand him an unexpected lead.

There was life in Nishikori yet, mind. When Murray sent down his biggest thunderbolt to that point, 135mph, at 40-15, he stood his ground and delivered a stunning return, then fought to deuce. Surely he could not break back straight away again. Yes, he could. After a long and nervous rally Murray shoved one long and his head dropped to his chest in despair.

This was profligacy on a grand scale. Murray needed to rediscover the blinding consistency of the first set, when he looked like running away with the match. Instead he was hanging on.

Nishikori mirrored Murray and handed the advantage back with a lazy backhand. There now was no telling where this match was going as Murray stepped up to serve for a 2-1 lead. The serve, it seemed, had become a liability for both of them but Murray thrashed a winner down the line at the first opportunity.

Midway through the point at 1-1 and 30-40 on Nishikori’s serve in the fourth set, the umpire yelled “Let. Replay the point” after more outside electrical interference on her sound system. Murray, desperate for a break, dumped his backhand and was livid with himself and Cacik. He was even less impressed when he butchered his return of an 81mph second serve and not at all happy when Nishikori drop-shotted him to hold.

It was a significant interruption. Nishikori consolidated his hold by breaking for 3-1. Murray, who was was still seething, lost 12 of the next 14 points and, when Nishikori lobbed him on the charge to lead 4-1, a minor crisis loomed.

Another noise interrupted Murray’s shot at 30-0 in the sixth game – aided by a pesky butterfly in his sight line – and, saving two break points in a tortuous struggle, he found himself 1-5 down.

In five-setters Murray was 23-7, Nishikori 13-5 but the mood here was different and Nishikori broke in the first game of the fifth set to send a strong wave of anxiety through the Scot’s box.

Like a welcome breeze in the desert, Murray held and broke to 15 for parity as Nishikori cracked under sustained pressure. Yet, with uncanny predictability, a double fault from Murray helped Nishikori back into the lead.

After Nishikori, 40-0 up, steered a simple volley into the net at 4-3 and 40-30, Murray scrambled a break point and took it. The sixth seed was looking nervous for the first time in at least an hour.

Nishikori held to stay in the match at 4-5 as Murray’s energy dipped. A weary double fault – Murray’s third of the match and second of the set – gave Nishikori his 13th break point in the 11th game – and he did not waste it, reaching for a miracle save volley to land in the unoccupied court.

Nishikori hit his fourth double fault to give Murray hope, trailing 5-6 after nearly four hours. Murray returned long and then Nishikori had two match points. A final dumped backhand ended the agony for the Scot and brought a relieved smile for the Japanese player, who now gives himself a chance of a second shot at the title.

Meanwhile, Stan Wawrinka took one step closer to a third grand slam title after outlasting an emotional Juan Martin del Potro.

Del Potro was bidding to reach his first grand-slam semi-final since a wrist injury derailed his career but the Argentinian ran out of steam in Arthur Ashe Stadium as Wawrinka won 7-6 (7/5) 4-6 6-3 6-2.

As Wawrinka prepared to serve for the match, the crowd celebrated Del Potro’s revival by singing his name, prompting the tearful 27-year-old to hold up his racket in appreciation.

It is Wawrinka, however, who goes through to the last four and he will now face Nishikori.

In the other semi-final, world number one Novak Djokovic plays France's Gael Monfils.

(Guardian service)