Andy Murray headed into the United States Open ranked second in the world, with so much momentum that many saw him as the player with the best chance of upsetting No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
After he lost to Djokovic in the French Open final, Murray went on to win the title at Wimbledon and the gold medal at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Heading into his quarterfinal match with sixth-seeded Kei Nishikori on Wednesday, Murray had won 26 of his last 27 matches.
But his bid for a second U.S. Open title came to an abrupt end as Nishikori staged a thrilling 1-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 upset under the roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium.