Murray rallies but Federer departs
Source: Agencies |
May 14, 2011, Saturday
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WORLD No. 4 Andy Murray became the first British player to reach the final four of the Italian Open yesterday after coming back from a set down to defeat unseeded German Florian Mayer 1-6, 6-1, 6-1.
The Scot, who improves on John Lloyd's quarterfinal in 1978, began in ragged fashion before storming to victory to book a semifinal against Novak Djokovic, his conqueror in January's Australian Open final, or fifth seed Robin Soderling.
"It's nice to do well here but now I want to go further," Murray, who in six previous visits had never got beyond the third round on Rome's clay, told reporters. "It will be great to play Novak. He's playing really well though I haven't seen him play this week. I won't be able to get away with playing the way I did in the first set."
On Thursday, Roger Federer failed to make the quarterfinals of a tournament for the first time in a year.
Third-seed Federer took the first set 6-4 against France's Richard Gasquet but, in a match of clean-hitting strokes, lost the next two sets against the 16th seed on tiebreaks (7-2, 7-4).
"I should never have lost this match," world No. 3 Federer, knocked out by Ernests Gulbis in the second round in Rome last year, told reporters.
"He knows how close he came to losing. I had multiple chances but I couldn't make the difference."
The Swiss, who had won the last eight matches between the two, broke serve in the very first game but Gasquet responded with 10 straight points to draw level at 2-2.
The long thrilling rallies had both players covering every bit of the court but it was Federer who broke again in the seventh game with two sweet forehands to take the set.
Gasquet, whose one victory against Federer had come on clay at Monte Carlo in 2005, fought back by trouncing the tired-looking Swiss in the second set tieback with a backhand winner before a flourishing crosscourt forehand.
With games going with serve in the deciding set, Gasquet again showed a steelier side, forcing Federer into two top-spin backhand errors in another confident tiebreak to take the scalp.
Meanwhile, Djokovic continued his assault on the No. 1 ranking with a 6-4, 6-1 win over 14th-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka, extending his winning streak to 36 matches.
(AP)
The Scot, who improves on John Lloyd's quarterfinal in 1978, began in ragged fashion before storming to victory to book a semifinal against Novak Djokovic, his conqueror in January's Australian Open final, or fifth seed Robin Soderling.
"It's nice to do well here but now I want to go further," Murray, who in six previous visits had never got beyond the third round on Rome's clay, told reporters. "It will be great to play Novak. He's playing really well though I haven't seen him play this week. I won't be able to get away with playing the way I did in the first set."
On Thursday, Roger Federer failed to make the quarterfinals of a tournament for the first time in a year.
Third-seed Federer took the first set 6-4 against France's Richard Gasquet but, in a match of clean-hitting strokes, lost the next two sets against the 16th seed on tiebreaks (7-2, 7-4).
"I should never have lost this match," world No. 3 Federer, knocked out by Ernests Gulbis in the second round in Rome last year, told reporters.
"He knows how close he came to losing. I had multiple chances but I couldn't make the difference."
The Swiss, who had won the last eight matches between the two, broke serve in the very first game but Gasquet responded with 10 straight points to draw level at 2-2.
The long thrilling rallies had both players covering every bit of the court but it was Federer who broke again in the seventh game with two sweet forehands to take the set.
Gasquet, whose one victory against Federer had come on clay at Monte Carlo in 2005, fought back by trouncing the tired-looking Swiss in the second set tieback with a backhand winner before a flourishing crosscourt forehand.
With games going with serve in the deciding set, Gasquet again showed a steelier side, forcing Federer into two top-spin backhand errors in another confident tiebreak to take the scalp.
Meanwhile, Djokovic continued his assault on the No. 1 ranking with a 6-4, 6-1 win over 14th-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka, extending his winning streak to 36 matches.
(AP)
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