Andy Murray's dream of a second US Open title success has come to an end following a 7-6 6-7 6-2 6-4 defeat at the hands of Novak Djokovic this morning.
Murray made the perfect start to the quarter-final clash as he broke his rival in the opening game, but his joy was short-lived as Djokovic quickly broke back to level the scores.
The advantage was handed to Djokovic midway through the first set when he capitalised on a sloppy service game from Murray to secure another break.
However, Murray managed to frustrate the top seed once again by fighting back to earn a tie-break, but it was Djokovic who held his nerve to claim a 7-1 success.
The second set followed a similar pattern as the New York crowd were treated to a number of thrilling rallies, with both players attacking his opponent's serve to produce four more breaks.
Another tie-break was needed to decide the set, but it was now Murray's turn to assert his dominance after Djokovic wasted a set point, and the Scot would level in the match once again thanks to a 7-1 triumph.
Murray struggled to reproduce the same quality in the third set as the gap between the two players widened, with a number of unforced errors gifting his rival a break in the fourth game.
The 2012 champion had the opportunity to break back immediately, but Djokovic's defensive qualities were clear for everyone to see as he retained his advantage by saving two break points.
A second break of serve would follow in the eighth game as the Serb wrapped up the third set to earn a 2-1 lead over his tiring opponent.
Djokovic secured his place in the next round by taking the fourth set, narrowly edging out Murray in what was a tightly-contested affair.
The number eight seed battled through in an attempt to take the match to a decider, but having lost serve in the 10th game, Djokovic prevailed 6-4 to set up a semi-final meeting with Kei Nishikori at Flushing Meadows.
Callum Mulvihill
