Anderson: aims at Number 5 spot

South Africa’s Kevin Anderson is now firmly in the limelight, his sights set on the top five in the world after his victory over Andy Murray at the US Open.

Anderson, seeded 15 stunned the world number three at Flushing Meadows with a 7-6 (7/5) 6-3 6-7 (2/7) 7-6 (7/0) victory to progress to his first ever grand slam quarter-final.

It is the first time in eight attempts Anderson has won a fourth round match at a major tournament after struggling in the past to overcome the world’s top players.

His victory over Murray, however, came exactly two months after taking Novak Djokovic to five sets at Wimbledon and Anderson wants to compete with the elite on a more regular basis.

‘That’s how I approach my tennis. Obviously I want to get to that stage,’ Anderson said.

‘Top 10 has been a lifelong dream for me. I feel like I’m getting closer – even top five, I think that’s ultimately where I want to be.

‘So we try to structure and think that way. Obviously it’s a lot of tennis and a lot of wins to get there.

‘I turned my phone onto flight mode before,’ Anderson said.

‘It’s interesting. I think my phone kind of froze. I got so many messages.

‘It was awesome to see all the support and actually amazing to see how many people were watching the match.’

Murray has come from two sets down to win eight times in his career and he threatened a fightback after claiming the third set.

The Briton’s resurgence brought back memories of Anderson’s duel with Djokovic at Wimbledon, where he was up two sets before losing in the decider.

‘That was definitely on my mind quite a bit,’ Anderson said.

‘It was important for me going into the match, thinking back to Wimbledon, the way I played there. That’s how I wanted to play again today.

‘Once I was up two sets to love, I think it was important not to think about it.

‘I was just really happy with the way I stuck the course, especially in the fourth set.’