Murray makes short work of Young then calls for urgent reform
BRITISH No1 Andy Murray called for urgent reforms in the way his sport is run after he was finally able to book his spot in US Open quarter-finals at the expense of Donald Young.
Murray made short work of the young American – he was on court a fraction shy of two hours – winning 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 and will now face big-serving John Isner today.
But still angered by the farce which saw him on court for just eight minutes on Wednesday in conditions he claimed jeopardised the safety of the players, Murray was not in the mood to discuss the finer points of his victory.
Despite the early conclusion of the Scot’s match yesterday, the tournament remains behind schedule with the 24-year-old faced with the prospect of having to win three matches in three days if he is to win a maiden grand slam.
Murray has called for players and officials to get together after the US Open and debate the issues, and even went so far as to suggest the situation may be a good thing because it has brought the problems to light.
He said: “Think if something happens to a player or the final turns out to be an absolute dead match because someone’s so tired.
“Obviously a lot of flaws have shown up, but it would be time to say, ‘Look, this is meant to be one of the biggest matches, and it’s messed up because of the schedule’.
“I think we should just try and get through it. Hopefully everyone will be okay, and then after the tournament sit down with whoever and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
“It isn’t just about this tournament. It’s about all of the slams and tennis in general. There are a lot of things that need to be changed aside from just the scheduling here.”
Meanwhile, defending champion Rafael Nadal, who was equally critical of the tournament organisers on Wednesday, reached the quarter-finals by beating Gilles Muller in straight sets 7-6, 6-1, 6-2.