Battling Murray back in final
Source: Agencies |
January 29, 2011, Saturday
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ANDY Murray forgot the score in the heat of a thrilling semifinal battle against David Ferrer yesterday before grinding past the resilient Spaniard 4-6, 7-6, 6-1, 7-6 to reach a second successive Australian Open final.
The fifth seed was a point away from trailing by two sets to love before recovering to raise British hopes of ending a 75-year drought for a men's singles grand slam champion. He will face Serbia's Novak Djokovic in tomorrow's final.
Murray, runner-up to Roger Federer last year, was actually unaware of how deep a hole he was actually in against the seventh-seeded Ferrer on a chilly night at Rod Laver Arena when he served at 4-5, 30-40 in the second set.
"You are probably not going to believe this but I actually thought it was 4-3, I didn't know until the umpire called five all at the end of the game," Murray, who saved the situation with a booming first serve, said on court afterwards.
"So that probably helped me ... It happens occasionally but not in a match like this. I was so focused, I was pretty wrapped up in it and lost track. I hope it doesn't happen again."
Having stared a two-set deficit in the face against a player he described as "a brick wall", Murray dominated the tiebreak and mowed through the third set as Ferrer's phenomenal baseline resistance finally began to wane.
Murray appeared to be coasting at 2-0 in the fourth but after wasting the chance for a double break Ferrer rallied to edge 5-4 and then 6-5 ahead.
In the second tiebreak of the match, played in an electric atmosphere, Murray ratcheted up the pressure with some brilliant serving to bring up five match points, before sealing it 7-2 with a deft half-volley.
"He's an unbelievable athlete, unbelievable competitor, it was an unbelievably tough match and I managed to come through but he's such a tough player to play against," Murray, drenched in sweat after countless brutal exchanges, said. "I don't think everyone gave (Ferrer) the respect he deserved after he beat Nadal but I certainly did.
"In the second set I started to go for my shots a bit more and it paid off bit it was a tough semifinal."
Ferrer rued letting Murray off the ropes but exited his 33rd consecutive grand slam tournament satisfied he had done his best against a "very, very great player."
"I had my chance in the set point in the second set, but in the important moments he served really well," said Ferrer. "I think I wasn't mentally tough," was Ferrer's rather harsh verdict. "Lot of rallies and had set point in the second set but in important moments he served very well."
Earlier, top-seeded Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta rallied from a set and 1-4 down to beat Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 in the Australian Open women's doubles, winning their first major as a team.
In mixed doubles, Chan Yung-jan of Chinese Taipei and Paul Hanley of Australia advanced to tomorrow's mixed doubles final with a 2-6, 6-3, 11-9 (match tiebreak) win over American Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Horia Tecau of Romania. Chan and Hanley will play Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia and Daniel Nestor of Canada, who beat Kirilenko and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia 6-4, 7-5 in the other semifinals.
The fifth seed was a point away from trailing by two sets to love before recovering to raise British hopes of ending a 75-year drought for a men's singles grand slam champion. He will face Serbia's Novak Djokovic in tomorrow's final.
Murray, runner-up to Roger Federer last year, was actually unaware of how deep a hole he was actually in against the seventh-seeded Ferrer on a chilly night at Rod Laver Arena when he served at 4-5, 30-40 in the second set.
"You are probably not going to believe this but I actually thought it was 4-3, I didn't know until the umpire called five all at the end of the game," Murray, who saved the situation with a booming first serve, said on court afterwards.
"So that probably helped me ... It happens occasionally but not in a match like this. I was so focused, I was pretty wrapped up in it and lost track. I hope it doesn't happen again."
Having stared a two-set deficit in the face against a player he described as "a brick wall", Murray dominated the tiebreak and mowed through the third set as Ferrer's phenomenal baseline resistance finally began to wane.
Murray appeared to be coasting at 2-0 in the fourth but after wasting the chance for a double break Ferrer rallied to edge 5-4 and then 6-5 ahead.
In the second tiebreak of the match, played in an electric atmosphere, Murray ratcheted up the pressure with some brilliant serving to bring up five match points, before sealing it 7-2 with a deft half-volley.
"He's an unbelievable athlete, unbelievable competitor, it was an unbelievably tough match and I managed to come through but he's such a tough player to play against," Murray, drenched in sweat after countless brutal exchanges, said. "I don't think everyone gave (Ferrer) the respect he deserved after he beat Nadal but I certainly did.
"In the second set I started to go for my shots a bit more and it paid off bit it was a tough semifinal."
Ferrer rued letting Murray off the ropes but exited his 33rd consecutive grand slam tournament satisfied he had done his best against a "very, very great player."
"I had my chance in the set point in the second set, but in the important moments he served really well," said Ferrer. "I think I wasn't mentally tough," was Ferrer's rather harsh verdict. "Lot of rallies and had set point in the second set but in important moments he served very well."
Earlier, top-seeded Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta rallied from a set and 1-4 down to beat Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 in the Australian Open women's doubles, winning their first major as a team.
In mixed doubles, Chan Yung-jan of Chinese Taipei and Paul Hanley of Australia advanced to tomorrow's mixed doubles final with a 2-6, 6-3, 11-9 (match tiebreak) win over American Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Horia Tecau of Romania. Chan and Hanley will play Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia and Daniel Nestor of Canada, who beat Kirilenko and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia 6-4, 7-5 in the other semifinals.
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