Tennis: British number one Andy Murray reached the US Open quarter-finals for the first time in New York with a crushing defeat of 10th seed Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland.
Murray, the sixth seed, set up a last-eight meeting with 19th seed Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina after defeating Wawrinka 6-1 6-3 6-3 in 109 minutes in his first appearance under lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Victory also earned Murray the world number five ranking following fourth-ranked David Ferrer's third-round exit at the weekend and the Scot got there in style, steamrollering past his rival with only 15 unforced errors.
The 21-year-old showed little sign that he had been involved in a five-set thriller with Jurgen Melzer of Austria just 48 hours earlier.
He got off to a blistering start by taking the first set, breaking the Olympic doubles gold medallist in the first game and barely letting up, looking very sharp indeed and showing every facet of his game.
Wawrinka, 23, did not get on the board until the fifth game but Murray was soon in a position to take the first set at 5-1 up, earning two set points after coming to the net and putting away a forehand volley.
Murray wrapped it up at the second opportunity to move into a one-set lead after only 32 minutes.
The pair were meeting for the fifth time this year and seventh overall, with three wins apiece - but Wawrinka having won only once in 2008, on clay.
Both men had reached the fourth round having come from two sets to love down in the previous round, Wawrinka overcoming Italian lucky loser Flavio Cipolla and Murray beating Melzer in the third 0-2 comeback of his career, following a 2005 Davis Cup victory against Andy Ram of Israel and a Wimbledon fourth-round classic against Richard Gasquet of France earlier this summer.
While Murray was looking in peak form, though, Wawrinka appeared not to have recovered from his experience as he faced a first break point of the second set in the fourth game.
The 10th seed saved it and then at 3-3 earned a double break point.
Murray sent down an ace, though, and a weak Wawrinka forehand saved the second as the Swiss player threw his hands up in frustration.
He hurled his racquet down on the ground after the next point as he failed to return a weak Murray second serve that the Briton had followed to the net.
The sixth seed launched a successful challenge to a serve called out by a line judge and he took full advantage when the point was replayed to hold serve and take a 4-3 lead.
Murray, making his second appearance in the US Open last 16 having lost to Nikolay Davydenko at the same stage in 2006, took a step closer to the last eight when he broke Wawrinka in the next game to go 5-3 up and serve for the set.
Wawrinka, though, put the pressure back on Murray to go 0-30 on the Scot's serve and he responded well to level at 30-all.
Set point soon followed but Wawrinka pulled out a slashed backhand winner.
Murray was not to be denied, though, and a drop volley at the net earned him a two-sets-to-love lead.
The one-way traffic continued in the third set as Murray earned three breaks points at 1-1 and wasted little time converting with a crunching backhand winner.
At 2-1 and up a break, Murray was in sight of victory and there was little sign of any fight left in Wawrinka.
The Swiss served to save the match at 3-5 down and Murray quickly had two match points.
Wawrinka saved the first but a weak backhand into the net handed the sixth seed his victory in one hour and 49 minutes, mercifully short given his exertions in the previous round.
"It's always tough playing against one of your friends," Murray said during an on-court interview at the end of the match.
"But this is the fourth round of the US Open, it's my favourite tournament and I had to put our friendship aside.
"I won in Cincinnati and reached the semi-finals in Toronto so it's been a good summer so far and hopefully it can continue in the next round."