Andy Murray played his most impressive match yet at the U.S. Open, easing past a dangerous Milos Raonic to reach the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows in New York.
Home hope Mardy Fish withdrew from the Grand Slam, citing health concerns, and with it handing tournament favorite Roger Federer a walkover. Marin Cilic and Tomas Berdych also made it to the last-eight with straight-set wins.
Murray seems to be peaking at the right time in the tournament; after far from convincing performances in the early rounds, even though he picked up seemingly easy wins, the Olympic champion stepped up a gear against a very difficult opponent in Raonic. Capitalizing on timely breaks of serves, the Brit advanced with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 result.
"I hit my passing shot very well tonight," Murray said in an on-court interview. "I was just trying to react quickly.
"He has a massive serve, a very loose arm. He has one of the best (serves) for sure.
"Sometimes you get your racquet on it, and sometimes it goes right by you."
Murray, however, never faced a break point on his own serve, smashing 31 winners to go with just 12 unforced errors in a very impressive performance.
Fish, meanwhile, ended his involvement at his home Grand Slam, following medical advice from his doctors. "I regret that I have to withdraw from the U.S. Open for precautionary measures," the American said in a statement. "I was reluctant to do so, but am following medical advisement.
"I had a good summer and look forward to resuming my tournament schedule in the fall."
Federer, who will face Berdych in the quarters, was sorry to see his scheduled fourth round opponent pull out. "I am really sorry for Mardy," the 17-time Grand Slam winner said. "I just want to wish him a speedy recovery. We all want to see him back on tour soon.
Sixth-seeded Berdych set up a meeting with the Swiss great, courtesy a 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-1 win over No. 11 seed Nicolas Almagro.
"It will be a tough match against Tomas," Federer added. "We have played many times in the past and he has always been a tough opponent. I will have to continue to serve well and dictate the points."
Marin Cilic entered the quarters with a 7-5, 6-4, 6-0 victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's conqueror Martin Klizan.
