• US Open, Day Five

Murray stumbles past Haase in five-set epic

Andy Murray had to dig deep into his reserves to beat Robin Haase in five sets © PA Photos

Enlarge

Related Links

• News: Murray relieved to survive Haase test
  
• Gallery: US Open: Day Five

Women's round-up: Sharapova out
Men's round-up: Nadal through
What They Said
Plays of the Day: Rocket Man
US Open: Day Five gallery

Andy Murray mixed the sublime with the truly awful as he kept his US Open campaign on track with a five-set win over Robin Haase.

For two sets the Scot's game misfired alarmingly, as his serve faltered and the forehand went to pieces. Haase took advantage without playing the sort of tennis you would expect a world No. 41 to need in order to beat a world No. 4. But with defeat staring him in the face, Murray found a foothold and it was as if a light suddenly switched on as he started to reel off winners and feeding off the anxiety of a tiring opponent, he was able to prevail 6-7(5) 2-6 6-2 6-0 6-4.

Murray predicted Haase would come out swinging and that rang true, as the Dutchman crashed an opening forehand winner at 105mph. Bombs flew off the Haase racket early on and Murray had to work extremely hard to hold his first three service games - in contrast to his opponent who served with authority.

Haase took confidence from his excellent serving and piled pressure on Murray at 3-3 with two big winners. The pressure told on the Brit who served a double fault to hand three break points. Some good court craft saved the break points, but a truly awful drop shot handed a fourth break point and Haase converted with a crunching forehand down the line.

The first sign of tightness in the Haase arm came when he served for the set at 5-4 as Murray earned three break points and duly converted - enabling him to take the set into a tiebreak.

Murray looked to have the breaker in control when racing into a 4-1 lead, but inexplicably his forehand disintegrated. The net cord was in Murray's favour as a ball flew off the tape and dropped dead on the Haase side, but he could not take advantage and a wild forehand that went wide of the sideline handed Haase the set.

Things got worse for Murray at the start of the second set as a truly awful service game gifted his opponent a love break. Murray broke back in the fifth game, pummelling a weak second serve from Haase, but he gave the break straight back with two double faults and a backhand error.

Haase held to love and promptly closed out the set with another break of the Murray serve. The Dutchman looked like carrying on his merry way when holding in solid fashion at the start of the third set, but Murray steeled himself two games later and duly broke thanks to some big hitting - firing himself up with a "come on" as he did so. Murray held without too much alarm to secure some breathing space for the first time in the match. A second break of serve followed and Haase effectively gave up the third set - leading him to call the doctor for a medical timeout.

Haase received lengthy treatment on his back and Murray looked to make his opponent move by changing the pace of play. And it worked in the opening game of the fourth set as he battled back from 40-0 to force a break point and converted when Haase pushed a backhand wide.

Murray came through a ten-minute service game as Haase made what appeared to be a last stand to get back into the fourth set. The following four games suggested that was the case as Murray raced through the fourth set to love to level the match.

Haase received further treatment on his back, but he had the look of a spent force and Murray battered him from the back of the court. Punishing forehands sapped what energy there was left from the Dutchman's legs and a double break had Murray's foot on the jugular.

But with the winning post in sight at 4-1 - the one being the first game Haase had won for over an hour - a slack service game from Murray handed the Dutchman a sniff and he found some energy to hold serve and whip up a crowd that had pretty much accepted the outcome.

With adrenaline pumping through him, Haase went for broke and some huge shots secured him a second successive break to level the match. After going over an hour with winning a game, the Dutchman reeled off four in 14 minutes.

But in a game that had more swings than a clock, Haase threw in an awful service game that enabled Murray to move within one game of a place in the third round. Murray, though, is never one to make his passage a simple one. He served a double fault, passed up his first match point and gave Haase a look at a second serve on break point but he pulled out an amazing serve and volley to set up a second match point.

The match was Murray's when a Haase forehand was called wide, but the drama continued as Hawkeye overturned the call. But at the third time of asking victory was secured when a Haase backhand went long and this time there was no Hawkeye reprieve.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.