Andy Murray knocked out of US Open after pulling off 'shot of the tournament'

31 August 2023 , 19:55

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Andy Murray may have hit the best shot of the US Open already (Image: US Open / Twitter)

Former champion Andy Murray has been knocked out of the US Open in the second round by Grigor Dimitrov - but he did hit a contender for shot of the tournament before his elimination.

The 36-year-old impressed against Corentin Moutet in the first round, winning in straight sets and joining an elite list of tennis royalty. It was Murray's 200th singles win in a Grand Slam, making him the ninth player in history to reach that total.

But his 2023 US Open journey is already over, as he was completely outclassed by Dimitrov. The Bulgarian won 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 in a comfortable win against the former World No. 1, but did applaud his opponent for a world-class shot.

During the first set it looked like Dimitrov had won a long rally after getting lucky with a bounce off the net, causing the ball to drop and lose all of its pace. But Murray was quick on his feet and the three-time Grand Slam winner managed to not only reach the ball, but win the point.

Murray's shot was met with a huge ovation from the crowd, and even the commentary team covering the match were in disbelief. The 36-year-old ended up on Dimitrov's side of the court due to his momentum from running to reach the ball, and was acknowledged by his opponent.

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It was a tough defeat for Murray to take, but another reminder that he may be well beyond his glory days. The second-round defeat means that Murray still hasn't been able to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam since Wimbledon 2017, where two hip operations followed.

Murray looked fresh in his first-round win, leading fans to believe he could make a deep run in the tournament. The Scot pulled out of the Cincinnati Masters ahead of the US Open to recharge after a minor injury, but Thursday's game appeared to be one too many.

The veteran acted as if he was already beaten during the third and final set, but with how well Dimitrov was playing it's understandable that he feared the worst. "I am very happy with the performance today," the Bulgarian said.

"I was expecting five sets. That first set was definitely the key. After that I settled in a bit more." Alexander Zverev awaits Dimitrov in the next round, one of the biggest clashes of the competition so far.

Murray was only just getting over his second-round defeat to Stefanos Tsitsipas at Wimbledon, and the Scot revealed ahead of the US Open that he was still annoyed about how the match went. But he couldn't have any complaints about his defeat to Dimitrov.

Joseph McBride