World No. 2 Andy Murray was beaten by Japan’s Kei Nishikori in an epic five-set encounter in the quarter-finals of the US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday. The Brit was beaten 1-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 in a match that lasted nearly four hours.

The Wimbledon champion and Olympic gold medallist was in sublime form throughout the tournament and was a definite in the final, according to many pundits. However, sixth seed Nishikori played some of his best tennis to get past Murray.

Murray’s concentration was hampered with rain and a sound system error during break point. The roof was shut owing to rain, which gave the Japanese player time to regain his composure against the second seed.

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Serena beats Halep

World No. 1 Serena Williams beat fifth seed Simona Halep 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to progress to the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows, where she will face10th seed Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic for a place in the final. Pliskova beat Croatian teenager Ana Konjuh 6-2, 6-2 for a spot in the last four.