Stan Wawrinka survived by the skin of his teeth on Saturday, before Rafael Nadal was knocked out in the fourth round of the US Open. With the top four seeds coming under pressure as the tournament moves on, Andy Murray will know the need to be at his best when he plays Grigor Dimitrov on Monday.
Murray has been professional in his first three rounds, doing what needed to be done on the hard courts of New York to move into the fourth round without too much fuss. Now, as the second week rolls in, the pressure increases and so does the scrutiny.
The 2012 US Open champion was far from his best in the third round, pushing past Paolo Lorenzi in four sets, with his serve letting him down a fair bit in the match. Murray, who has a 6-3 head to head record against Dimitrov, cannot afford to be below par in this fourth round match.
"That will be a tough match," Murray said in a courtside interview after his 7-6 (7-4), 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 victory over Lorenzi. "Grigor has been playing well the last few weeks, got a lot of good shots, very talented guy. I'll need to play a good match to win."
Dimitrov booked his place in the fourth round with a 6-4, 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 win over Joao Sousa, and while the Bulgarian has never quite fulfilled his potential – he was named the "Baby Federer" a while back – the talent and ability to beat anyone on his day is obvious.
"I'm feeling good," Dimitrov said after his third round victory. "Played a good match. Obviously I've been striking the ball well, having good results. Just getting ready for the next match. Pretty pleased to be in the second week again.
"I think also I've played quite a few times against Andy. I think we both know our game pretty well. I don't think there's going to be any surprises. I don't think I'm going to hear anything new in a way."
There is a bit of a subplot when the two players meet in the fourth round, with Murray's former assistant coach Dani Vallverdu now with Dimitrov, after his, initial, controversial move to Tomas Berdych's camp.
"It doesn't really [change the dynamic]," Murray said when asked about how he feels having to play with Vallverdu in the opposition box. "The first time when I played Berdych after me and Dani stopped working together, it was awkward for sure, because he was one of my best friends and the media were trying to make it out like it was a grudge match.
"I played Berdych a few times since then and had no issues dealing with it. It doesn't change anything now."
Where to Watch Live
Murray vs Dimitrov is set to begin at 7 p.m. local time (12 a.m. BST, 4.30 a.m. IST next day). Live Streaming and TV information for the fourth round US Open match is below.
India: TV: Ten 1 and Ten 1 HD. Live Streaming: Tensports live.
International: Live Streaming: US Open website.
US: TV: ESPN. Live Streaming: Watch ESPN.
Canada: TV: TSN. Live Streaming: TSN TV.
Europe: TV: EuroSport. Live Streaming: EuroSport Player.
Australia: TV: Fox Sports. Live Streaming: Foxtel.
Middle East: TV: Bein Sports Arabia. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
