Andy Murray on Friday continued his golden run with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Australia’s Bernard Tomic to move into the semi-finals of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The world No. 2 pushed through the fatigue of an arduous schedule and overcame a 4-3 deficit in the second set, where he won the final three games to continue his spectacular run that has included his second Wimbledon crown and defense of his Olympics singles title.
“I think the conditions here help a little,” Murray said. “It’s pretty quick and there are not a lot of long rallies. That helped me tonight. I played the big points well and that was the difference. That comes from winning big matches and making better decisions.”
Murray was last defeated by Novak Djokovic in the French Open final in June and is now to meet Milos Raonic in the semi-finals after the big-serving Canadian beat Austrian eighth seed Dominic Thiem.
Raonic lost to Murray in the Wimbledon final.
“He’s got one of the biggest serves in the game,” Murray said. “I’ll need to [return] well if I want to win.”
Raonic unleashed 17 aces and did not face a break point during the 68-minute match that put him within two wins of his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title.
“I’ve practiced with him many times, so to some extent I have an understanding of his game, like he has of mine, but it’s different come match time, so I did a little bit of studying. I feel like I took that all in and adapted well,” Raonic told the ATP Tour Web site.
Raonic skipped the Olympics and instead spent time with coach John McEnroe, with the two discussing the disappointment of losing to Murray in his first career Grand Slam final appearance.
In other quarter-final action, Croatian 12th seed Marin Cilic advanced when compatriot Borna Coric retired with a knee injury after dropping the first set 6-2, while unseeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov beat the US’ Steve Johnson 7-6 (10/8), 6-2.
Meanwhile, in the women’s singles, Angelique Kerber on Friday moved within two victories of the world No. 1 ranking when she beat Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro in their quarter-final.
The German second seed overcame a slow start before finding some form and outlasting ninth seed Navarro 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 in a match that never reached any great heights in front of a small crowd in steamy afternoon heat.
Kerber’s task was perhaps made easier by an apparently injured Navarro, who moments after losing, withdrew from her doubles match, citing a thigh complaint.
If Kerber wins today, she will displace Serena Williams as world No. 1, ending Williams’ run of 183 consecutive weeks at the top.
Williams was a late withdrawal from Cincinnati, citing a shoulder injury.
To overtake Williams, Kerber must first get past Romania’s Simona Halep, who defeated Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska 7-5, 6-1 to reach the semi-final.
Kerber and Halep last met in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon, where the German prevailed in two tight sets, but Halep has not lost a match since en route to victories at the BRD Bucharest Open and the Rogers Cup in Montreal.
Kerber has played a heavy schedule over the summer, and it showed in her sluggish start on Friday.
“It was really difficult to go out there,” she told the WTA Web site. “I’m playing like I don’t know which day ... every day, it’s the same. When I’m waking up it’s the same routine I have... Of course, it’s really hot out there.”
The other semi-final is to pit fourth seed Garbine Muguruza against 15th seed Karolina Pliskova.
Spain’s Muguruza, the French Open champion, beat Hungarian qualifier Timea Babos 6-4, 6-3, while the Czech Republic’s Pliskova upset Russian seventh seed Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.
Pliskova credited her victory to improved serving as the match progressed.
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