The 22-year-old British second seed, last year's US Open runner-up, failed in his bid to become the first British men's Grand Slam champion since Fred Perry in 1936.
"I just struggled," Murray said. "I played poorly. I'm very disappointed. I didn't feel like I played well. I had my chance in the first set and struggled after that."
Defeat on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts was especially stinging for the 22-year-old Scotsman, who loves the surface as well as the atmosphere of a New York fortnight in the year's last Grand Slam event.
"I returned poorly. He served well. That felt like the difference," Murray said. "The momentum was with him and I didn't manage to get it back.
"I'm disappointed. I don't know how long or how quickly it will take me to get over it."
In taking his first victory over a top-three opponent in seven attempts, Cilic fired 10 aces and 35 winners while Murray went 0-for-7 on break-point chances and made 41 unforced errors.
"I played very well and he was missing a lot," Cilic said. "I don't think he was playing his best."
Cilic will play for a semi-final berth against Argentine sixth seed Juan Martin Del Potro, who fired 22 aces and 44 winners to defeat Spanish 24th seed Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
"I'm happy to be in the quarter-finals. It's a return for me," Del Potro said. "It's like magic."
Cilic lost their only meeting in this year's Australian Open fourth round.
In later fourth-round matches, French seventh seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will face Chilean 11th seed Fernando Gonzalez and Spanish third seed Rafael Nadal will meet French 13th seed Gael Monfils.
Cilic, the youngest top-20 player at age 20, was relieved to finally break into the last eight at a slam after four prior runs were halted in the fourth round.
"That feels really amazing," Cilic said. "It feels great to win that extra set."
Murray had beaten Cilic in their three prior meetings, most recently in the fourth round of this year's French Open, but looked off-form from the start.
Murray had the first break-point chances of the match in the sixth game of the opening set, but a service winner by the Croatian and a wide crosscourt forehand by Murray enabled Cilic to hold for 3-3.
After rescuing a break point in the ninth game, Murray was thwarted on two break points in the 10th game, Cilic saving the first with an ace before Murray netted a backhand.
"That was the turning point," Cilic said. "It was a relief for me to get into the match and not be so into myself."
Revitalized Cilic pressed the attack to break Murray for a 6-5 edge, the deciding point coming when Murray's crosscourt forehand clipped the net cord and landed wide, and held to claim the set when Murray netted a backhand.
Moments later, Murray pushed a forehand volley wide to gift Cilic a break to begin the second set and dug the early hole deeper with a forehand beyond the baseline to hand the Croatian a 3-0 edge.
Cilic, serving for the set at 5-2, denied Murray on three break points with service winners and took the set on back-to-back aces, the last on a second serve that baffled the Briton, who swung below the ball and missed totally.
Murray had made three career comebacks from two sets down, one to beat Austrian Jurgen Melzer in the third round on his run to the 2008 US Open final.
But Murray netted a backhand from the baseline to surrender a break in the opening game of third set and when the Scotsman plunked a forehand shy of the net to conceed a break and trail 5-2, the end was nigh.
Cilic served out to end the rout after two hours eight minutes.
share on: facebook
No comments:
Post a Comment