Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer and compatriot World No.5 Stanislas Wawrinka entered the quarter-finals of the US Open but World No.3 Andy Murray of Scotland was ousted by South African Kevin Anderson at the Flushing Meadows here.
Federer, seeded second, defeated local favourite John Isner 7-6 (7), 7-6 (8), 7-5 on Monday and reached the last eight stage of the US Open for the 11th time. The match, lasting two hours and 39 minutes, was nothing short of a duel between two players with great serves and neither losing until the 12th game when Federer broke Isner for the first time in 10 chances, Efe reported.
Federer, who beat Isner five of the six times they faced, held his serve throughout the game, despite Isner getting five opportunities to break him.
Federer is yet to drop a set in the four matches he has played so far in the tournament. In the quarter-finals, the 17-time Major winner is set to play France's Richard Gasquet, ranked 12th, who defeated sixth seeded Czech Tomas Berdych 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 and 6-1.
It will be the 17th occasion that Federer and Gasquet will face one another, with the Swiss having a 14-2 advantage, which includes the last six times they played, over the Frenchman.
The eighth day of the US Open also witnessed a major upset as Anderson, ranked 15th, beat third seeded Murray 7-6(7), 6-3, 6-7(7), 7-6(7) to enter the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam event for the first time. The duel lasted four hours and 17 minutes, the longest so far in the tournament this year.
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Both players held their serves in the match except for the second set during which Anderson broke Murray twice to clinch it 6-3 and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Anderson will next face the fifth ranked Swiss Wawrinka who defeated the 68th ranked American Donald Young 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 and 6-4 in two hours and nine minutes.
The South African enjoys a 4-3 head-to-head advantage over Wawrinka, and has won the last four encounters between the two.
Meanwhile, Romanian second seeded Simona Halep earned a hard-fought victory against German Sabine Lisicki, 6-7(8), 7-5, 6-2 to book her first women's singles quarter-final berth.
Halep, playing her sixth US Open, will now take on Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, ranked 20th, who defeated American Varvara Lepchenko 6-3, 6-4.
Both Halep and Lisicki broke each other several times in the first set on Monday until it progressed to a tie-break which the German won through her superior stroke play. The second set seemed to be going the same way, before Halep managed to clinch it by pulling off one break more than her opponent, taking the match to the third set.
With the match poised at one set all, Lisicki lost steam and was unable to match her opponent's consistency in the deciding set, ultimately bowing out of the Open.
Halep committed 72 unforced errors and hit 37 winners to Lisicki's 33 and 18 respectively, in the match lasting two hours and 38 minutes.
The Romanian also converted 10 of 11 breakpoint opportunities, compared to seven of 13 by her rival, while both committed six double faults each.
Meanwhile, Italy's 26th-seeded Flavia Pennetta reached the quarter-finals yet again after defeating Australia's 22nd ranked Samantha Stosur 6-4, 6-4.
Pennetta played a perfect game to reach her fourth consecutive US Open quarter-final and sixth in 11 appearances in the tournament, in a mere one hour, 18 minutes.
Pennetta, who held her serve throughout the match, broke Stosur twice, while smashing seven aces and committing two double faults to her opponent's seven and three respectively.
Pennetta also struck 18 winners and committed 13 unforced errors to Stosur's 21 and 35 respectively.
The Italian will face fifth seeded Czech Petra Kvitova, who notched a 7-5, 6-3 win over British sensation Johanna Konta.
Konta, who has had a dream run in the US Open, was no match for Kvitova's consistency and performance during the one hour and 28 minutes contest.
Kvitova, who is set to play her first quarter-final of the tournament, hit 28 winners and committed 22 unforced errors to her opponent's 10 and 21 respectively.