Tournament favorite and world number one Roger Federer was knocked out of the U.S. Open by an inspired Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows.
Federer, coming off a brilliant win in Wimbledon, was seen as the man to beat in the final Grand Slam of the year, and in the previous four matches, he hardly looked troubled. However, in the last-eight match against Berdych, Federer went two sets down, and despite pulling a set back, could not force the match into a decider, eventually losing 7-6 (1), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
Federer had nearly as many unforced errors (40) as winners (44), with Berdych doubling the ace count against his opponent.
Berdych will now face Andy Murray in the semi-finals, after the Brit overcame a slow start to get past Marin Cilic 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-0. Down a set and two breaks at one point, with much of the crowd watching, what would turn out to be Andy Roddick's final match in his professional career at the Arthur Ashe stadium, Murray found himself rejuvenated after the supporters shifted to the Louis Armstrong stadium late in the second set, to fight back from the brink and book himself a place in the semis.
"It definitely got much, much louder and felt more like the quarterfinals of a Slam," Murray said. "That's not a reason to get off to a bad start, though.
"You have to be able to create your own atmosphere when you're on the court. But I did play better when the crowd filled up."
Owing to rains delaying the start of the day and also washing out the night session Tuesday, Murray's match was shifted from Arthur Ashe stadium to Louis Armstrong, where the Scot has always found it tough. "It's a very tight court, very small," Murray said. "Arthur Ashe is a massive stadium, but also the run back and the side of the court, it's huge, as well.
"Normally from one of the ends on Ashe, you know, there is a strong breeze. You know, on that court it swirls more.
"It's a quicker court. The courts for sure are faster, and when you switch from one court to the other, one is slower, one is quicker, it can take time to get into a rhythm. I have never played particularly well on that court."
Earlier, in the fourth round match, which was postponed from Tuesday due to rain, Novak Djokovic coasted through to the quarterfinals after his opponent Stanislas Wawrinka retired, with Djokovic leading 6-4, 6-1, 3-1. "It's an unfortunate situation that happened with him, but I felt that I was hitting the ball well in the last two sets before that happened," Djokovic said. "Hopefully I can keep that going for the next match."
Djokovic faces Juan Martin Del Potro in the quarters after the Argentine defeated Roddick.
