Andy Murray vs. Kei Nishikori: Score and Reaction from 2016 US Open

Kei Nishikori advanced to his second U.S. Open semifinal after beating Andy Murray in five sets, 1-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5, on Wednesday evening in Flushing Meadows, New York.

Nishikori's last trip to the semifinals came in 2014, when he finished runner-up to Marin Cilic. He's the third player to seal passage to the next round, with Novak Djokovic and Gael Monfils advancing Tuesday. Sports Illustrated's Jon Wertheim thought the 26-year-old Japanese star made a major statement with the win:

Early on, it looked like Murray might breeze through an easy match. Nishikori was thoroughly out of sorts in the first set. He committed 14 unforced errors, twice the number of his winners (seven), and won only two of his 10 second-service points.

After Murray earned a break in the fourth game, Nishikori pressed and attempted far too much with his groundstrokes from the baseline. Rather than simply extending points, he tried to work nearly impossible angles to find winners. His high number of unforced errors is evidence of how the strategy worked out.

To his credit, Murray didn't take his foot off the gas and give Nishikori an opportunity to get back into the set. The 2012 U.S. Open champion mixed up his shots well, which kept the Japanese player guessing.

U.S. Open Tennis noted why getting an early lead in the match boded well for Murray:

The set break allowed Nishikori to reset, and he was a different player in the second frame. After Murray earned a service break in the fifth game, though, Sky Sports' David Garrido thought the No. 6 seed had dug himself into an inescapable hole:

Instead, Nishikori immediately broke back and won the next game to go ahead 4-3. Not only was he much better on serve—12-of-17 first-service and 6-of-9 second-service points won—he made Murray work harder from the baseline. The Japanese star picked up 11 winners in the second set, while the world No. 2 committed 10 unforced errors.

After grabbing the advantage back in the third set, Murray started unraveling in the fourth. During the third game, he had a break-point opportunity against Nishikori. During a rally, however, a mysterious gong sound echoed through Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The chairwoman immediately stopped the point after Murray hit a backhand down the line. Once play resumed, Nishikori held serve and won the game.

While Murray has stamped out the issue for the most part, he remains prone to letting his emotions get the better of him. When things aren't going well, his frustration grows, which bleeds into his performance. That's exactly what happened in the fourth set.

SNY.tv's Adam Zagoria tweeted how the first instance of the gong sound—perhaps by coincidence—represented a demarcation point:

The audio equipment inside the stadium wasn't the only source of Murray's ire, either. A butterfly flew onto the court near the net and apparently broke his concentration as play was ongoing. As a result, he vented some of his anger toward said butterfly, per Sports Illustrated's Kenny Ducey:

As the New York Times' Christopher Clarey tweeted, many of Nishikori's fans in Japan were waking up at the perfect time to watch him attempt to seal the victory in the fifth set:

Nishikori did just that despite going down 4-5. He held serve in the 10th game and picked up a critical break in the following game with an incredible forehand volley on an attempted passing shot by Murray. The Scot slammed his racket on the top of the net after the point was over as he was on his way to the changeover.

That point effectively ended the match. Nishikori served out to earn his berth in the semifinal. U.S. Open Tennis shared a replay of match point:

Nishikori will play either Stan Wawrinka or Juan Martin del Potro in the semifinals. Neither matchup is particularly favorable, since he's 2-3 against the Swiss and 0-4 against the Argentine.

But based on his performance Wednesday, Nishikori can handle any player in the world, and he saves his best tennis for the U.S. Open. According to ESPN Stats & Info, he's 5-0 in the tournament against players in the top 10.

A Grand Slam title has so far eluded Nishikori, so this could be the event where he finally breaks through.

Post-Match Reaction

Nishikori explained how he altered his strategy to better match up with Murray.

"I tried to hit a little more drop shots than usual," he said, per the Guardian's Kevin Mitchell. "I know he stays back. It worked really well."

"I definitely have great memories here," Nishikori said, per ESPN.com's Nicolas Atkin. "Two years ago, I made the final for the first time in the Grand Slams. This is a great opportunity for me, to come in the semifinal here again. This is one of my favorite Grand Slams."

For Murray, the match changed when the Arthur Ashe Stadium roof closed.

"Under the roof he was able to dictate more of the points and playing closer to the baseline than me," he said, per BBC Sport.

Note: Match stats are courtesy of the U.S. Open's official website.