Murray crashes out

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 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.

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 garnered his first break of the Lee serve.