Jack Draper is the last Brit standing at the US Open after reaching the fourth round of a grand slam for the first time.
The 21-year-old, an impressive 6-4 6-2 3-6 6-3 winner against tricky American Michael Mmoh, will face eighth seed Andriy Rublev in the last 16.
But Cameron Norrie bowed out along with Dan Evans – who gave Carlos Alcaraz a serious work-out before losing in four sets – and Katie Boulter.
Here, the PA news agency looks back at day 6 at the US Open
Pic of the dayShot of the day
Probably shot of the tournament. Any tournament.
Match of the day
Evans’ showdown with Alcaraz inside Arthur Ashe Stadium took a little time to warm up, but once it got going it was a joy to watch. The defending champion had to dip into his armoury of explosive winners to finally see off the British number two 6-2 6-3 4-6 6-3.
Brit watch
Draper laid a few ghosts to rest with his win in the Grandstand Stadium.
It was the same court upon which, a year earlier, Draper suffered a hamstring injury which forced him to retire from his match with Karen Khachanov.
He said: “I was thinking that on the court today it’s like Groundhog Day out there. I think it was exactly one year on.
“To come here a year on, despite maybe my ranking having dropped a fair bit because of the injuries and not being able to be on the same confidence level that I was last year, you know, I’m incredibly proud of that and hopefully I can keep going this week.”
Boulter was beaten 6-4 6-3 by 21-year-old American Peyton Stearns and Norrie lost a disappointing match in three sets to Italian Matteo Arnaldi.
Quote of the dayFallen seeds
Women: Liudmila Samsonova (14), Elina Svitolina (26), Marie Bouzkova (31)
Men: Cameron Norrie (16), Grigor Dimitrov (19), Nicolas Jarry (23), Dan Evans (26).
Who’s up next?
The fourth round gets under way with a tasty tie between teenager Coco Gauff and 33-year-old mother of two Caroline Wozniacki. Iga Swiatek faces Jelena Ostapenko and Novak Djokovic takes on Croatian quailfier Borna Gojo.
British number one Katie Boulter’s run at the US Open was ended in the third round by Peyton Stearns.
The 27-year-old from Leicester picked up two fine wins in her opening two matches, but American world number 59 Stearns proved too strong on a breezy Court 17.
Boulter was gunning for revenge having lost to Stearns across three tie-breaks and three-and-half hours in Texas in February.
But this was never as close a match despite Boulter clawing back an early break in the first set.
Holding serve was becoming an arduous task and Stearns duly struck again to pinch the opener.
A solitary break in the second was enough to send Boulter packing as 21-year-old Stearns ran out a 6-4 6-3 winner.
Boulter can be proud of her efforts in New York, however, with a place in the world’s top 50 on the cards for the first time in her career.
Dan Evans pushed world number one Carlos Alcaraz all the way before bowing out of the US Open following a breathtaking third-round match.
The defending champion had to dip into his armoury of explosive winners to finally see off the British number two inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The last time Evans played the top-ranked player he rose to the occasion, beating Novak Djokovic in Monte Carlo three years ago.
And the 26th seed brought the very best out of the 20-year-old Wimbledon champion before succumbing 6-2 6-3 4-6 6-3.
Alcaraz dominated the first set, constantly pushing his opponent to the back of the court and hitting 14 winners to Evans’ four.
But he showed he is not infallible at the start of the second after a double-fault gave Evans, who was beginning to relish the challenge, a break point which he converted with a superb backhand down the line.
Alcaraz quickly retrieved the break and a frustrated Evans was given a code violation after slicing the ball into the crowd after netting a volley at 15-30 up on the Spaniard’s serve.
Evans was playing well, but Alcaraz simply raised his level and brought up set point with a blistering forehand down the line which brought gasps from the spectators.
Evans saved that one, but could do nothing with the next after an exquisite lob and simple volley put Alcaraz two sets up.
Never one to give up without a fight, Evans promptly played one of the best sets of his career.
He broke for 4-3 and, serving for the set, forced Alcaraz into some of the most outrageous clutch winners.
The pair, who played golf together at Wimbledon, frequently exchanged knowing looks and grins, such was the quality of the cat-and-mouse tennis on show.
It took Evans, 33, five set points to make the breakthrough, prompting a suddenly exasperated Alcaraz to slam his racket down in frustration.
But Alcaraz turned the match back in his favour with another stunning shot on break point. On the run and at full stretch, he unleashed a forehand down the line which clipped the baseline and left Evans stood, hands on hips, in sheer disbelief.
Two aces, another sensational lob onto the baseline and a 61st winner of the match finished Evans off, but Alcaraz knew he had been in a contest.
“He’s a tricky opponent, great slices, good touch and it’s my game as well so it was a pretty good match,” said Alcaraz.
“We made great points, great shots, a lot of different situations, so I’m really happy to get through
“We played some great points that made us smile, Dan as well. It’s great to see Dan and I on a tennis court, we tried to entertain and make the match fun.”
Jack Draper has reached the second week of a grand slam for the first time after beating American Michael Mmoh in the third round of the US Open.
The British number four silenced the home crowd with a gritty display in a 6-4 6-2 3-6 6-3 victory.
The Grandstand court at Flushing Meadows is an intimidating place for an overseas player taking on an American, but Draper had almost emptied it when he went 2-0 ahead.
Mmoh, ranked 89 in the world, hit back in the third, but Draper dug deep to break for 4-2 in the fourth before clinching a huge win.
Grandstand is also the court which Draper hurt his hamstring a year ago in his third-round match against Karen Khachanov, forcing him to retire.
The 21-year-old has been beset by injuries ever since and was a doubt to even play in New York due to a tear in his shoulder.
Yet Draper, serving with less vim than usual in a bid to manage the problem, still thumped 52 winners to surge into the last 16.
He said: “It was a tough match, Michael is an incredible player who has had a great year and I knew would be a challenge. I was proud of the way I came through it.
“Last year was really difficult, I injured myself and didn’t want that to happen today. To come it through after a tough year for me, I’m very happy.”
Novak Djokovic maintained his bid for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title but he had to do it the hard way as he came back from two sets down to beat fellow Serb Laslo Djere.
The three-time US Open champion recovered from losing the opening two sets 4-6 4-6 to break his opponent’s serve in the first game of the third and that provided the catalyst for him to put together a run of which saw him win 6-1 6-1 6-3 to progress to the fourth round.
It was the eighth time in his career the three-time champion Djokovic, who is aiming to match Australian Margaret Court’s tally of major wins, had successfully recovered from such a deficit.
He took a break after losing the second set and after his victory, said: “I did a pep talk in the mirror. It worked.
“I laughed at myself because I was so agitated and annoyed with the game. I had to force myself to lift my spirits.”
Djokovic will next play Croatian qualifier Borna Gojo, the world number 105.
Czech qualifier Jakub Mensik did not hit many happy returns at the US Open as he was crushed by Taylor Fritz on his 18th birthday.
American hope Fritz, the ninth seed, played the ultimate party pooper and gave Mensik just three games in a 6-1 6-2 6-0 victory.
“I felt good. I kind of had a clear plan of what I wanted to do, how I wanted to play him,” said Fritz, 25.
“I returned well. I was moving really well. Yep, I just played a solid match.”
Incredibly, Fritz has dropped just 13 games in his three matches in New York so far. He will face 21-year-old Swiss sensation Dominic Stricker in round four.
The USA are waiting for a first home men’s champion since Andy Roddick 20 years ago, but they already have four in the last 16 with Michael Mmoh potentially a fifth.
They will definitely have at least one quarter-finalist as Tommy Paul beat Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1 6-0 3-6 6-3, and he will face Ben Shelton, who got past Aslan Karatsev of Russia 6-4 3-6 6-2 6-0.
Frances Tiafoe, the 10th seed, came from a set down to beat Frenchman Adrian Mannarino to set up a clash with Rinky Hijikata of Australia.
“When any of us see the others having good results, it’s motivating,” added Fritz. “I think they’d all say the same thing.
“But it’s motivating. Because if one of us does something, the others not only want to do it too, they now believe that they can also do it because we think we’re as good as each other. If he did this here, then why can’t I?”
He continued: “I think it’s kind of this progression that we’ve had for a while now, why we’re at where we’re at.
“Someone achieves something big, then someone else comes and wants to match him or one-up him, and it’s the cycle that keeps going.
“We’re all such good friends, it’s motivating, for sure.”
Czech qualifier Jakub Mensik did not hit many happy returns at the US Open as he was crushed by Taylor Fritz on his 18th birthday.
American hope Fritz, the ninth seed, played the ultimate party pooper and gave Mensik just three games in a 6-1 6-2 6-0 victory.
“I felt good. I kind of had a clear plan of what I wanted to do, how I wanted to play him,” said Fritz, 25.
“I returned well. I was moving really well. Yep, I just played a solid match.”
Incredibly, Fritz has dropped just 13 games in his three matches in New York so far. He will face 21-year-old Swiss sensation Dominic Stricker in round four.
The USA are waiting for a first home men’s champion since Andy Roddick 20 years ago, but they already have four in the last 16 with Michael Mmoh potentially a fifth.
They will definitely have at least one quarter-finalist as Tommy Paul beat Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1 6-0 3-6 6-3, and he will face Ben Shelton, who got past Aslan Karatsev of Russia 6-4 3-6 6-2 6-0.
Frances Tiafoe, the 10th seed, came from a set down to beat Frenchman Adrian Mannarino to set up a clash with Rinky Hijikata of Australia.
“When any of us see the others having good results, it’s motivating,” added Fritz. “I think they’d all say the same thing.
“But it’s motivating. Because if one of us does something, the others not only want to do it too, they now believe that they can also do it because we think we’re as good as each other. If he did this here, then why can’t I?”
He continued: “I think it’s kind of this progression that we’ve had for a while now, why we’re at where we’re at.
“Someone achieves something big, then someone else comes and wants to match him or one-up him, and it’s the cycle that keeps going.
“We’re all such good friends, it’s motivating, for sure.”
Czech qualifier Jakub Mensik did not hit many happy returns at the US Open as he was crushed by Taylor Fritz on his 18th birthday.
American hope Fritz, the ninth seed, played the ultimate party pooper and gave Mensik just three games in a 6-1 6-2 6-0 victory.
“I felt good. I kind of had a clear plan of what I wanted to do, how I wanted to play him,” said Fritz, 25.
“I returned well. I was moving really well. Yep, I just played a solid match.”
Incredibly, Fritz has dropped just 13 games in his three matches in New York so far. He will face 21-year-old Swiss sensation Dominic Stricker in round four.
The USA are waiting for a first home men’s champion since Andy Roddick 20 years ago, but they already have four in the last 16 with Michael Mmoh potentially a fifth.
They will definitely have at least one quarter-finalist as Tommy Paul beat Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1 6-0 3-6 6-3, and he will face Ben Shelton, who got past Aslan Karatsev of Russia 6-4 3-6 6-2 6-0.
Frances Tiafoe, the 10th seed, came from a set down to beat Frenchman Adrian Mannarino to set up a clash with Rinky Hijikata of Australia.
“When any of us see the others having good results, it’s motivating,” added Fritz. “I think they’d all say the same thing.
“But it’s motivating. Because if one of us does something, the others not only want to do it too, they now believe that they can also do it because we think we’re as good as each other. If he did this here, then why can’t I?”
He continued: “I think it’s kind of this progression that we’ve had for a while now, why we’re at where we’re at. Someone achieves something big, then someone else comes and wants to match him or one-up him, and it’s the cycle that keeps going.
“We’re all such good friends, it’s motivating, for sure.”
The next time Iga Swiatek takes her best friend Kaja Juvan out for dinner, bagels are unlikely to be on the menu.
The world number one and defending US Open champion thrashed Slovakian qualifier Juvan 6-0 6-1 to reach the fourth round at Flushing Meadows.
The pair had been out for a meal in New York just last week, and Swiatek spoke of their enduring friendship on the WTA Tour before the match.
But with friends like Swiatek, who needs enemies? The Pole surrendered just eight points as she raced away with the first set to love in only 33 minutes.
Juvan did at least avoid the dreaded ‘double-bagel’, finally getting a game on the board 40 minutes into the match for 3-1 in the second and raising her arms aloft in mock triumph to the acclaim of the Louis Armstrong crowd.
But it was only delaying the inevitable, with Swiatek wrapping up another clinical, statement victory – she beat Rebecca Peterson by the same scoreline in the first round – in well under an hour.
“I didn’t like that I was winning with my best friend but I knew I had to be focused and not think about that,” said the 22-year-old.
“It’s like playing your sister. I don’t have many friends and she’s my best friend so that was the toughest, for sure.”
Dan Evans plans to fight fire with fire when he takes on defending champion and current world number one Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open.
The British number two is through to the third round at Flushing Meadows for the sixth time in his career after a four-set win over Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.
His ‘reward’ is a match-up with 20-year-old Spaniard Alcaraz, who picked up his first grand slam title in New York last year and added the Wimbledon crown earlier this summer.
Evans, seeded 26, said: “It’s a little annoying to have him in the top eight of the draw but it is what it is.
“It will be a good match. I am really looking forward to it and will play aggressively.
“It’s a very difficult draw. He will obviously be the overwhelming favourite but it’s a good opportunity to play a very good tennis player on a big stage. That is why you play tennis.”
Alcaraz has won both of their previous two meetings in straight sets, but Evans boasts a better record on the golf course after the pair played a few holes at Wimbledon.
“Of course, his golf is much better than mine, that’s for sure,” said Alcaraz. “We played a little bit before Wimbledon. We had such a great time at the course.”
Katie Boulter has reached the third round of an overseas grand slam for the first time and is on the brink of breaking into the world’s top 50.
The 27-year-old from Leicester faces Peyton Stearns, a young American who she lost to in three tie-breaks in a marathon match in Austin, Texas, in February.
“I actually played probably the longest match of my career against her in Austin this year,” she said. “It was a 7-6 in the third, five in the tie-break loss. It was a brutal match. Three hours and 25 minutes.
“I’m expecting a lot. I mean, she’s a real talent. She’s a great player. The courts suit her a lot here.
“Again, I know it’s going to be physical and I’m going to have to be ready and playing some of my best tennis to beat her.”
British number one Cameron Norrie has what looks like another winnable tie against Italian world number 61 Matteo Arnaldi.
But if he gets through, the 28-year-old will run into Alcaraz – or Evans – in the fourth round.
Jack Draper, who brilliantly accounted for 17th seed Hubert Hurkacz on Thursday, faces American Michael Mmoh.
Andy Murray bowed out of the US Open, but it was still a successful day for British tennis.
Jack Draper, Katie Boulter, Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans all kept the flag flying into the third round, although Jodie Burrage came up short against second seed Aryna Sabalenka.
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz beat Lloyd Harris in straight sets and he will face Evans next.
Here, the PA news agency looks back at day four at Flushing Meadows.
Pic of the dayShot of the day
No contest.
Brit watch
Murray was desperately disappointed with how he played as he went down in straight sets to a familiar rival, Grigor Dimitrov. It was a 12th meeting of the pair and the Bulgarian 19th seed picked up his fourth win.
Norrie was a straight-sets winner against Hsu Yu-hsiou of Chinese Taipei and Evans came from a set down to beat Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp in four.
Propably most impressive was Draper, who dispatched 17th seed Hubert Hurkacz of Poland 6-2 6-4 7-5.
Lucky escape
Boulter was relieved to avoid being defaulted after inadvertently hitting a ball towards spectators during her win over Wang Yafan.
The British number one had just lost a 20-shot rally in the first set when a ball kid threw her the ball and she swatted it away, accidentally sending it spinning into a gangway in front of the crowd.
Had the ball hit a spectator Boulter would have been disqualified, but the chair umpire merely issued a code violation for ball abuse.
Boulter went on to complete a 5-7 6-1 6-4 victory and will play American Peyton Stearns in round three.
Stat of the dayNo boos
The USTA put an announcement on the big screen explaining there would be no handshake between Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina and Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova due to ‘global events’. It had the desired effect as there was no booing of either player, unlike at Wimbledon when Victoria Azarenka got it in the neck.
Fallen seeds:
Hubert Hurkacz (17)
Who’s up next?
Novak Djokovic continues his bid for a record-equalling 24th grand slam title against fellow Serbian Laslo Djere.
Defending champion Iga Swiatek faces her good friend, Slovakian qualifier Kaja Juvan.
Andy Murray bowed out of the US Open, but it was still a successful day for British tennis.
Jack Draper, Katie Boulter, Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans all kept the flag flying into the third round, although Jodie Burrage came up short against second seed Aryna Sabalenka.
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz beat Lloyd Harris in straight sets and he will face Evans next.
Here, the PA news agency looks back at day four at Flushing Meadows.
Pic of the dayShot of the day
No contest.
Brit watch
Murray was desperately disappointed with how he played as he went down in straight sets to a familiar rival, Grigor Dimitrov. It was a 12th meeting of the pair and the Bulgarian 19th seed picked up his fourth win.
Norrie was a straight-sets winner against Hsu Yu-hsiou of Chinese Taipei and Evans came from a set down to beat Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp in four.
Propably most impressive was Draper, who dispatched 17th seed Hubert Hurkacz of Poland 6-2 6-4 7-5.
Lucky escape
Boulter was relieved to avoid being defaulted after inadvertently hitting a ball towards spectators during her win over Wang Yafan.
The British number one had just lost a 20-shot rally in the first set when a ball kid threw her the ball and she swatted it away, accidentally sending it spinning into a gangway in front of the crowd.
Had the ball hit a spectator Boulter would have been disqualified, but the chair umpire merely issued a code violation for ball abuse.
Boulter went on to complete a 5-7 6-1 6-4 victory and will play American Peyton Stearns in round three.
Stat of the dayNo boos
The USTA put an announcement on the big screen explaining there would be no handshake between Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina and Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova due to ‘global events’. It had the desired effect as there was no booing of either player, unlike at Wimbledon when Victoria Azarenka got it in the neck.
Fallen seeds:
Hubert Hurkacz (17)
Who’s up next?
Novak Djokovic continues his bid for a record-equalling 24th grand slam title against fellow Serbian Laslo Djere.
Defending champion Iga Swiatek faces her good friend, Slovakian qualifier Kaja Juvan.
Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans and Jack Draper kept the British flag flying heading into round three at the US Open.
Andy Murray may have been sent packing, but there were sparkling wins for the other three British men at Flushing Meadows.
British number one Cameron Norrie fired 15 aces on his way to a 7-5 6-4 6-4 victory over qualifier Hsu Yu-hsiou of Chinese Taipei.
“Honestly, he should have won the first set but I was able to take the momentum into the second set,” said the 28-year-old.
“I was really happy with how I played the big points and I’m happy to be through.”
Norrie will face world number 61 Matteo Arnaldi of Italy in round three.
Evans, the British number two, came from a set down to beat Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp 1-6 6-1 6-3 6-3.
It is the sixth time the 33-year-old has reached the third round at Flushing Meadows, although he will have his work cut out to go any further, with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz his next opponent.
Probably most impressive was Draper, who last year was ranked as high as 38 in the world but has endured a torrid 12 months with injuries and had to miss Wimbledon with a shoulder tear.
Now outside the top 100, Draper felt the shoulder again in a warm-up event in the US and feared the worst.
But the issue has cleared up and Draper is yet to drop a set at Flushing Meadows after beating 17th seed Hubert Hurkacz 6-2 6-4 7-5 in the second round.
“I felt something in my arm again that I hadn’t had in a while, and, you know, came here with the intention of ‘we’ll take it day by day’,” he said.
“I had a scan and I had a very small bit of edema in my arm, which is basically a tear.
“I was looking with my coach and physio thinking, you know, just another bit of time off. We were almost in tears. What more can we do?”
He continued: “There was a strong chance I couldn’t play this week. But we got the scans done and sent it back home and they said it’s not the same injury, so it’s not that serious.
“I’m kind of looking after it each day. It was a bit sore after my last match but when the adrenaline kicks in and obviously playing the US Open, I just put it out of my mind and go out and try my best to play the tennis I want to.”
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz breezed into the third round at the US Open with another straight-sets win.
This time the victim was Lloyd Harris, who used to train with Alcaraz when the world number one was 15 at the Juan Carlos Ferrero Academy.
The South African gave Alcaraz a test in the third set but the seemingly unstoppable force still registered a 6-3 6-1 7-6 (4) win.
“I think I played a great match from the beginning until the last ball, but if I have to take something from the match I want to keep the level of the second set,” said Alcaraz, 20.
“I had to stay focused, stay strong mentally. It was pretty good for me and to win in straight sets is really important in the first rounds.”
There was a routine win for sixth seed Jannik Sinner, who beat fellow Italian Lorenzo Sonego 6-4 6-2 6-4.
American ninth seed Taylor Fritz also won in straight sets, coasting past Juan Pablo Varillas of Peru 6-1 6-2 6-2.
Alexander Zverev, seeded 12, won the all-German clash against Daniel Altmaier in four sets and will meet Grigor Dimitrov, the 19th seed who knocked out former champion Andy Murray.
Big-serving American John Isner called time on his career, fittingly enough, in a fifth-set tie-break as he lost his final match to compatriot Michael Mmoh.
Katie Boulter was relieved to avoid being defaulted after inadvertently hitting a ball towards spectators during her US Open second-round win over Wang Yafan.
The British number one had just lost a 20-shot rally in the first set when a ball kid threw her the ball and she swatted it away, accidentally sending it spinning into a gangway in front of the crowd.
Had the ball hit a spectator Boulter would have been disqualified, but the chair umpire merely issued a code violation for ball abuse.
View this post on Instagram“Firstly, the safety of everyone is the most important thing for me,” she said. “It was completely unintentional, and luckily it wasn’t anywhere close to anyone.“But for a second I was feeling pretty bad, if I’m honest.
“Of course there’s a lot of ifs. At the end of the day I’ve got to play with the facts. It didn’t (hit someone). It would be my worst nightmare, it really would. Completely unintentional, as well.
“Yeah, it was an unfortunate situation, but we moved through, and we managed to get a win.”
The 27-year-old went on to reach the third round at Flushing Meadows for the first time after a gutsy 5-7 6-1 6-4 victory over China’s Wang.
As well as the ball incident, in a tight first set Boulter retrieved an early break, and had three set points on the Wang serve.
But she was unable to convert any of them and Wang promptly broke to wrap up the set.
However Boulter, from Leicester, cleared her head impressively and dominated the second set to level the match.
Having broken again for 5-4 in the decider she suffered a horrible wobble, throwing in two double faults in the first three points.
But once again Boulter recovered her composure and wrapped up a fine win when Wang hit the net.
“I thought it was an absolute battle,” she added. “I worked really, really hard. I had a lot of chances in the first set. I didn’t quite get over the line.
“I think there were a few nerves, I’m not entirely sure why, but there were a few nerves in the first.
“After we finished that set I relaxed a bit and started to be a little bit more aggressive and it really paid off.”
There was disappointment, although not a major surprise, for Britain’s other remaining woman, Jodie Burrage.
The 24-year-old equipped herself well against second seed and Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka but bowed out 6-3 6-2 inside the Louis Armstrong Stadium.
“Obviously not the result I was looking for, but I had a pretty tough opponent,” said Burrage. “I thought she played really well today. She served really well, especially in the big moments.
“But I’m happy with how I played in a way and happy with how I was on the court.
“It’s a big occasion and you’re playing a big player like that. And I’m happy with the way I went about it. I didn’t feel out of place out there at all.”
Andy Murray admits he may have to accept his days of competing in the latter stages of grand slams could well be over.
The 36-year-old former world number one bowed out of the US Open after a dispiriting second-round defeat to his old rival Grigor Dimitrov.
In the 12th meeting between two veterans of the sport, and seven years after their last one, 19th seed Dimitrov registered only his fourth win over the Scot.
Murray wilted inside the Arthur Ashe Stadium, the court upon which he won his first grand slam title in 2012, as he slipped to a 6-3 6-4 6-1 defeat.
“I mean, it’s obviously disappointing to not play how you would like, you know?” said Murray, who has not made it past the third round of a major event since 2017.
“But maybe I need to accept that, these events, I had the deep runs and everything that I felt like I’m capable of, they might not be there, as well.
“So, you know, I’m aware what I’m doing, it’s unbelievably challenging to play at the highest level as I am now. And some days it’s harder than others.
“But yeah, today is obviously a really disappointing defeat and probably the manner of it as well. I mean, I fought hard enough, but just didn’t play well enough.
“You know, ultimately these are the events that you want to play your best tennis in and create more great moments, and I didn’t do that this year.”
A ding-dong of a first set, including two brutal 15-minute games, was poised at 3-3 with almost an hour played and the match was shaping up to be another Murray marathon.
Murray had lost eight points in a row to slip behind but hit back after an astonishing get from a man with a metal hip, retrieving a net cord by deftly angling the ball away from Dimitrov.
He continued his run past the net post and into Dimitrov’s side of the court, where the Bulgarian clapped his opponent before both tapped rackets.
That was where the niceties ended, though, and Murray’s hopes quickly went south.
He came up with an absolute stinker of a service game, two double-faults and two unforced errors gifting Dimitrov the set and the momentum.
Murray was broken again at the start of the second and his shoulders slumped even further when his solitary chance to break back drifted wide.
The constant chuntering to his team was getting less and less cordial and, at 4-1 down in the third, he gestured to them that the match was over as a contest.
The two-time Wimbledon champion was proved to be right two games later as another attempt to challenge at a grand slam fell well short.
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