Wawrinka rallies to defeat Murray

Swiss tennis player Stanislas Wawrinka has caused an upset at the US Open, defeating one of the favourites, Britain’s Andy Murray.

Murray, ranked four, lost 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-3 in the third round to Wawrinka, the number 25, on Sunday.

The Scot served for a two sets to love lead but then suffered a left thigh problem and Wawrinka, who also had treatment for a thigh injury, recovered to win after three hours 56 minutes.

“I think all my game was pretty good, it was one of my best matches for sure,” an elated Wawrinka said. “I was very aggressive. I was doing everything really good so I’m very happy.”

Many had expected Murray to do well at the tournament, especially as he had beaten Swiss tennis star Roger Federer in the final of the Rogers Cup in Toronto, the traditional “warm-up” to the US Open, last month.

The defeat at the hands of Wawrinka handed Murray his earliest loss at a grand slam event since he was beaten at the same stage in the French Open in 2008.

Wawrinka, an Olympic gold medallist with Federer in the men’s tennis doubles, will next play 20th-seeded American Sam Querrey in the fourth round.

On Saturday, Patty Schnyder lost her match against Yanina Wickmayer, who fought off a match point in the third-set tiebreak. Schnyder was the last of the Swiss women left in the tournament.

swissinfo.ch and agencies