Emotional Andy Murray through to quarter-finals of Washington Open

The three-time major winner continues recovery from hip surgery with victory over Marius Copil

An emotional Andy Murray steps off court after defeating Marius Copil at the Washington Open. AP Photo

An emotional Andy Murray continued to make encouraging strides on his comeback from hip surgery as he booked his place in the quarter-finals of the Washington Open.

The 31-year-old Scot, who withdrew from Wimbledon after deciding he was not quite ready to compete, showed impressive reserves of fitness to see off Romania's Marius Copil 6-7, 6-3, 7-6.

The match in the US capital lasted three hours and two minutes and finished just after 3am local time (11am UAE time), and Murray buried his head in his towel at the conclusion of the match, apparently sobbing.

He will next face Australia's Alex de Minaur in the last eight on Friday evening.

Copil proved a testing opponent, breaking back when Murray appeared set to move clear in the decider.

Murray, who underwent hip surgery in January, reached this stage with wins over Mackenzie McDonald and fellow Briton Kyle Edmund, and now faces world No 72 De Minaur for a place in the semi-finals.

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