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Three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray
moved closer to a singles return six months after right hip surgery
while Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas moved into the world's top five Friday
at the ATP Washington Open.
Britain's Murray and his brother Jamie, in their first doubles event since the 2016 Rio Olympics, lost to New Zealand's Michael Venus and South African Raven Klaasen 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (8/6), 10-7 in a quarter-final at the US Open tuneup event.
Top seed Tsitsipas beat French 10th seed Benoit Paire 7-5, 6-0 to reach the semi-finals and ensure he will overtake Germany's Alexander Zverev to crack the world rankings top five on Monday.
The 20-year-old Australian Open semi-finalist, who lost to Zverev in last year's Washington semis, advanced to a semi-final against either 137th-ranked Slovakian lucky loser Norbert Gombos or Australia's Nick Kyrgios.
Murray has played doubles and practiced singles this week to work his form and conditioning to peak levels ahead of the US Open.
"I feel fine, just disappointed," Murray said. "Practices have been fine."
Murray, who feared his career might be over after the January operation, hasn't played singles since the Australian Open but says he might return at the ATP Cincinnati Masters that begins August 12, two weeks before the start of the US Open in New York.
"Just keep pressing next 10 days," Murray said. "If I feel ready, I'll give it a go. If not, I'll probably wait until after New York."
Murray, set to play doubles next week at Montreal alongside Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, doesn't want his first singles matches back to be the best-of-five-set variety offered in Grand Slams.
He ruled out playing in Winston-Salem the week before the US Open, figuring the time would be better spent practicing for a post-US Open return as he works to recover top form and conditioning.
"I don't see the point of it necessarily," Murray said. "I've never competed the week before a Slam. If I'm not ready five or six days beforehand I'll give it a miss."
The 32-year-old Scotsman, a former world number one now ranked 222nd, captured Grand Slam singles crowns at the 2012 US Open and at Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016.
- Serious shoe issues -
The Tsitsipas victory was marked by his third straight game with a delay to change shoes, having said he damages them when he slides incorrectly.
Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev advanced to the semi-finals by defeating Croatian sixth seed and 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic 6-4, 7-6 (9/7).
Medvedev, chasing his fifth career ATP title after winning in February at Sofia, took the only break at the start on the way to denying Cilic his first semi-final of the year in capturing their first-ever meeting.
"I served really great. That was one of the keys," Medvedev said. "I managed to do what I had to do, hold my serve and win the tie-breaker. I'm really happy with my level of play."
Next up for Medvedev will be 122nd-ranked German lucky loser Peter Gojowczyk, who outlasted British 13th seed Kyle Edmund 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
Gojowczyk, who only made the event after Australia's Bernard Tomic dropped out with a finger injury, added the world number 34 to a US capital victims list that includes Canada's 20th-ranked Milos Raonic and 25th-ranked Aussie Alex De Minaur.
"I was actually surprised to play any matches and now I'm in the semis," said Gojowczyk, whose lone ATP title was at Metz in 2017.
In the accompanying WTA event, Taiwan's 31st-ranked Hsieh Su-Wei, the only seed in the last eight, lost to American Catherine McNally 6-4, 6-3.
Russian qualifier Anna Kalinskaya ousted France's Kristina Mladenovic 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to book a semi-final date with American Jessica Pegula, who beat compatriot Lauren Davis 6-2, 7-6 (7/2).
Britain's Murray and his brother Jamie, in their first doubles event since the 2016 Rio Olympics, lost to New Zealand's Michael Venus and South African Raven Klaasen 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (8/6), 10-7 in a quarter-final at the US Open tuneup event.
Top seed Tsitsipas beat French 10th seed Benoit Paire 7-5, 6-0 to reach the semi-finals and ensure he will overtake Germany's Alexander Zverev to crack the world rankings top five on Monday.
The 20-year-old Australian Open semi-finalist, who lost to Zverev in last year's Washington semis, advanced to a semi-final against either 137th-ranked Slovakian lucky loser Norbert Gombos or Australia's Nick Kyrgios.
Murray has played doubles and practiced singles this week to work his form and conditioning to peak levels ahead of the US Open.
"I feel fine, just disappointed," Murray said. "Practices have been fine."
Murray, who feared his career might be over after the January operation, hasn't played singles since the Australian Open but says he might return at the ATP Cincinnati Masters that begins August 12, two weeks before the start of the US Open in New York.
"Just keep pressing next 10 days," Murray said. "If I feel ready, I'll give it a go. If not, I'll probably wait until after New York."
Murray, set to play doubles next week at Montreal alongside Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, doesn't want his first singles matches back to be the best-of-five-set variety offered in Grand Slams.
He ruled out playing in Winston-Salem the week before the US Open, figuring the time would be better spent practicing for a post-US Open return as he works to recover top form and conditioning.
"I don't see the point of it necessarily," Murray said. "I've never competed the week before a Slam. If I'm not ready five or six days beforehand I'll give it a miss."
The 32-year-old Scotsman, a former world number one now ranked 222nd, captured Grand Slam singles crowns at the 2012 US Open and at Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016.
- Serious shoe issues -
The Tsitsipas victory was marked by his third straight game with a delay to change shoes, having said he damages them when he slides incorrectly.
Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev advanced to the semi-finals by defeating Croatian sixth seed and 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic 6-4, 7-6 (9/7).
Medvedev, chasing his fifth career ATP title after winning in February at Sofia, took the only break at the start on the way to denying Cilic his first semi-final of the year in capturing their first-ever meeting.
"I served really great. That was one of the keys," Medvedev said. "I managed to do what I had to do, hold my serve and win the tie-breaker. I'm really happy with my level of play."
Next up for Medvedev will be 122nd-ranked German lucky loser Peter Gojowczyk, who outlasted British 13th seed Kyle Edmund 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
Gojowczyk, who only made the event after Australia's Bernard Tomic dropped out with a finger injury, added the world number 34 to a US capital victims list that includes Canada's 20th-ranked Milos Raonic and 25th-ranked Aussie Alex De Minaur.
"I was actually surprised to play any matches and now I'm in the semis," said Gojowczyk, whose lone ATP title was at Metz in 2017.
In the accompanying WTA event, Taiwan's 31st-ranked Hsieh Su-Wei, the only seed in the last eight, lost to American Catherine McNally 6-4, 6-3.
Russian qualifier Anna Kalinskaya ousted France's Kristina Mladenovic 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to book a semi-final date with American Jessica Pegula, who beat compatriot Lauren Davis 6-2, 7-6 (7/2).
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