• Cincinnati Masters

Murray sets up Federer clash but Djokovic stunned

Andy Murray won the tiebreak in the final set 7-2 © Getty Images

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Andy Murray was forced to save two match points as he beat John Isner in a final-set tiebreak to reach the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Masters.

The two-time Grand Slam winner lost the opening set 7-3 in a tie-break after squandering a 3-1 advantage. But the British No.1 fought back to take the second set 6-4 and then emerged victorious in the tiebreak of the deciding set to seal a 6-7(3) 6-4 7-6(2) win.

Isner, who lost in the final in Cincinnati to Rafael Nadal 12 months ago, served a double fault to hand the match to Murray - who saved the two match points at 6-5 down in the third set.

"It was a big win for me," Murray told Sky Sports. "He plays extremely well here. Returning his serve, especially his second serve, in these conditions is very challenging so I did well to fight back.

Cincinnati Masters quarter-finals

Roger Federer survived to set up a last-eight meeting with Andy Murray © Getty Images

• Tommy Robredo v David Ferrer

  Stan Wawrinka v Julien Benneteau

  Milos Raonic v Fabio Fognini

  Andy Murray v Roger Federer

"I felt like I played a very good match. I served well, I moved well, I was hitting the ball clean from the back of the court and when I was challenged at the end of the third set I responded well, that's important.

"It's all about winning right now, I don't really care how I play, I just try and keep getting wins."

Murray sets up a mouth-watering quarter-final with Roger Federer, who also needed three to get past the lively Gael Monfils. The Swiss advanced to the quarter-finals with a 6-4 4-6 6-3 victory.

"There was some frustration, but that's what Gael does to you," Federer said. "I felt like I missed some opportunities in the second set to close him out, but that's a credit to him. He hung in there."

World No.1 Novak Djokovic's quest to become the first player to win all nine ATP Masters 1000 events is over after he was beaten 7-6(6) 7-5 by Tommy Robredo.

Djokovic, a four-time runner-up in Cincinnati, heads to the US Open on the back of another early exit having suffered a loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the third round of the Rogers Cup in Toronto last week.

"Just many, many, many things are not clicking these two weeks on hard courts," Djokovic said on his two losses. "It's unfortunate, but it's more than obvious I'm not playing even close to what I'm supposed to play. I have to keep on working and trying to get better for US Open."

Reigning Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka came from a set down to also book his spot in the last eight, overcoming Marin Cilic 3-6 6-0 6-1 to set up a meeting with Julien Benneteau after he defeated Jerzy Janowicz 7-5 6-1.

"He was playing really well at the beginning," Wawrinka said. "I tried to focus on my serve and tried to be a little bit more aggressive. I was moving better and made him move a lot.

"He was struggling a little bit with his arm and couldn't serve full speed. I was more relaxed with myself and moving better [in the second set]. When I am moving right, I give myself more time to play and then I can control the game. I had a great time out there today."

Robredo next faces David Ferrer, who continued his mini-revival by beating Mikhail Youzhny 7-5 6-0.

Wimbledon semi-finalist Milos Raonic saw off American wildcard Steve Johnson 6-7(7) 6-3 7-6(4) and will face Fabio Fognini in the last eight after the Italian edged Yen-Hsun Lu 3-6 6-3 6-3.

Novak Djokovic suffered another early-round exit for the second week running © AP

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