Murray flushed out of New York

Tennis:   Andy Murray crashed out of the US Open in New York after a below-par performance against Korean Hyung-Taik Lee.

Tennis:  Andy Murray crashed out of the US Open in New York after a below-par performance against Korean Hyung-Taik Lee.

Murray, seeded 19th at Flushing Meadows, was beaten 6-3 6-3 2-6 7-5 on a raucous night under the floodlights at the Grandstand show court, going down to a man 11 years his senior and ranked 43rd in the world.

The British number one had won the only previous encounter between them, back in February in San Jose, California, but that was a distant memory, since extinguished by a three-month lay-off due to a wrist injury.

This was Murray's first tournament free of pain since suffering the injury in May but after a long five-setter in the previous round against Jonas Bjorkman on Thursday, the last thing Murray needed was another gruelling encounter. Yet he gave himself no alternative as Lee raced into a two-set lead.

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Lee made the first definite move in the eighth game of the opening with Murray serving at 3-4.

The Korean had two break points at 15-40 but Murray responded with an ace down the middle.

Then the Scot became unsettled as two further first serves down the middle were called the wrong side of the line. With no challenge available on the Grandstand court, and no overrule forthcoming from umpire Steve Ullrich, Murray made his displeasure felt but the diversion only benefited Lee who won the next point to take the opening set 6-3.

Murray did not let matter drop and continued to question the service calls but he had served poorly throughout the first set, registering only a first-serve percentage of just 43%.

The second set was just as troublesome for the British number one, who was muttering to himself continually. Having worked hard to save his serve in the third game he was broken in the fifth game on a double fault and when Lee closed out the set with another break of serve the Korean looked set for a straight sets upset of the 19th seed.

Murray, though, had other ideas. He regrouped between sets and came out for the third in a seemingly much more positive frame of mind that immediately gave him his first break of the Lee serve.

He then saved a break point in the next game with a great backhand down the line to take a 2-0 lead.

Another break gave Murray the stranglehold on the set at 4-1 and suddenly he was smiling, chatting happily to himself and at coach Brad Gilbert seated in the stands behind the baseline.

With his first service up to 63% in the set, the confidence was well founded as Murray served out to love to take the third 6-2 and then broke Lee in the first game of the fourth set.

Lee broke back immediately and held his serve as frustration crept back into Murray's game, the Scot throwing his racquet across the court in anger.

There were more boos from the large Korean contingent at courtside in the next game when Murray delivered a brilliant cross-court winner and collided with a rubbish bin underneath the umpire's chair.

He narrowly avoided a serious collision with the metal footrest on the chair at head height but having escaped injury he kicked out at the bin, sending it and some rubbish flying behind his own chair.

There was no warning from Ullrich but the boos rang out nonetheless.

Murray went on to win the service game and was clearly pumped up as his own fans found their voices once again.

There was a worry for the Koreans when Lee called for a trainer and received a back massage during the next changeover but there was little sign of discomfort as he broke Murray's serve to take a 4-2 lead.

Lee took the next game to love and at the changeover again received another rub down on his lower back as Murray was left to ponder how he would serve to save the match.

Whatever the masseur was doing it obviously worked as again Lee jumped up to take the initiative when play resumed. But Murray saved a match point and held his serve.

Next it was Lee on the defensive as he had to save a set point but the Korean quickly got back on top and had a match point that ended with a net-cord falling just the wrong side of the net for the 31-year-old.

With that the see-saw game tilted back in Murray's favour and an overhit forehand from Lee delivered the break of serve the Scot needed to stay alive.

At 6-5 down, Murray made a crucial error on serve, sending a sloppy backhand into the net to give Lee a match-point he converted with a superb passing forehand.

It was not all bad news for the Murrays as older brother Jamie and Liezel Huber reached the quarter-finals of the mixed doubles.

Playing with Huber for the first time this week after his Wimbledon-winning partnership with Jelena Jankovic was put on hold, the Scot and the American beat Paola Suarez of Argentina and Zimbabwe's Kevin Ullyet 7-5 6-4.