Kei to the semis! Nishikori outlasts Andy Murray in back-and-forth U.S. Open quarterfinal

NEW YORK—On Wednesday afternoon at the U.S. Open it was David versus Goliath, with Goliath getting completely distracted by speaker malfunctions and renegade ringtones. Under a closed roof in Arthur Ashe Stadium, the calmer underdog, Kei Nishikori, earned just his second win in nine career matches against Andy Murray, ousting the tournament’s second seed, 1-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5.

Nishikori, ranked five spots below Murray, was the flashier player of the two, more likely to rip a jumping backhand winner and carve a deft drop shot. But Murray’s steadiness, which he’s displayed to great effect all summer, prevailed early. The crowd, firmly on Nishikori’s side, barely had time to find its seats before the Scot broke twice to take the opening set.

“It was [a] really difficult match," said Nishikori, a finalist at the U.S. Open in 2014. "I didn’t quite start well. I felt it was really quick, and I was rushing a little bit and missing too many unforced errors.”

Suppressing his usual antics, Murray was eerily composed, with no outbursts directed towards his box. He exchanged breaks with Nishikori in the second set until the match was halted in the seventh game because of rainfall. The new roof was called into action.

“I think, definitely, under the roof he was able to dictate more of the points,” Murray said afterwards. “He was playing a bit closer to the baseline than me and taking the ball on a little bit more.”

The delay helped swing the match in Nishikori’s direction, after using the time to “regroup and [adjust] tactics,” as he explained.

“I had to change something to win the match," he said." It definitely helped for my game today.”

Murray, a creature of habit in a sport that demands consistency, hates being disrupted. He’s worn essentially the same Under Armor kit all year—he even kept his hat on with the roof closed—yells at his box even when they fail to respond and insists on serving with the same ball he just won the point with. It’s a typical level of OCD for a tennis player, but it can be wearisome to watch—especially when he’s acting out—and the crowd was unamused.

Once Murray rediscovered his rhythm in the third set of this indoor contest, Nishikori felt the pressure. At 4-4 he suffered a mental hiccup, losing his serve before Murray held at love for a two-sets-to-one lead.

That’s when things got weird, fast. At 1-1, during a Murray break-point opportunity, a speaker sounded off mid-point, forcing the chair umpire to call a let. The USTA later said that the gong-like sound came from a malfunctioning digital audio sound processor that would be replaced.

“[Tournament supervisor] Wayne McKewen told me that it happened four times during the match, that the speakers had gone off like that,” Murray said. “I had only heard it one time before, which was on set point in the second set. That was it.”

Murray responded by losing the next three points, which bailed out Nishikori, and then his own service game. The Scot couldn’t let the perceived injustice go, wagging his finger, shaking his head and slumping his shoulders as he quickly went down 4-1. The 29-year-old then lost his serve once more, frazzled this time by what sounded like metal dropping high in the stadium.

Nishikori remained totally unaffected by the circus, taking command of the set to force a decider.

“I think I was too focused today, so I couldn't really hear too much on the court,” Nishikori said. “But, for sure, the crowd helped me to get back in the game.”

Murray’s ranting continued into the fifth set, along with Nishikori’s momentum. The Japanese star broke immediately, but the fiery Murray wasn’t going to go down lightly. He took the next two games, causing Nishikori to lose his cool with a racquet toss. Another exchange of breaks followed before the two were nodded at five games apiece in the fifth set.

Then came a phone call, in between Murray’s first and second serves. He dramatically paused. It happened again at 30-30, the crowd seemingly baiting Murray to lose his cool. He would lose his serve for the ninth and final time—Nishikori was broken eight times overall—after Nishikori played one of his many effective drop shots.

Nishikori’s nerves and serve would hold up in the subsequent game, propelling him into the semifinals.

“Obviously I was in a good position," Murray said afterward, "up a set and a break, and [had] chances at the beginning of the fourth set. I could have won the match, for sure ... I fought as hard as I could with what I had today. I didn't let anyone down—certainly not myself. I pushed myself as hard as I could over the last few months, and I'm very proud of how I have done.”

Nishikori, who also won the USTA sportsmanship award on this triumphant day, will play either Stan Wawrinka or Juan Martin del Potro next.

“Definitely, I have a great memory here,” Nishikori said. “Two years ago I made the final for the first time in a Grand Slam. I think this is a great opportunity for me.”