French Open QF preview and pick: Murray vs. Ferrer

A semifinal spot will be at stake when Andy Murray and David Ferrer square off at Roland Garros on Wednesday. The winner earns a date with either Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal.

Andy Murray and David Ferrer will be meeting for the 16th time in their careers when they collide in the quarterfinals of the French Open on Wednesday.

Murray leads the head-to-head series 9-6, but he is 0-4 lifetime against Ferrer on clay. Their most recent red-dirt encounter also came in the Roland Garros quarters, with Ferrer getting the job done 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-2 in 2013. The Spaniard previously prevailed on the slow stuff at the 2006 Barcelona event and in 2010 at Masters tournaments in Rome and Madrid. They faced each other three times last fall, when Ferrer prevailed in Shanghai only to see Murray exact revenge in Vienna and Valencia.

While eight of Murray’s nine wins over his frequent practice partner have on hard courts (the other came on grass), he is suddenly looking like a clay-court guru. In fact, the third-ranked Scot is a perfect 14-0 on the slow stuff in 2015 with two titles. His unblemished run on red dirt has continued this fortnight with defeats of Facundo Arguello, Joao Sousa, Nick Kyrgios, and Jeremy Chardy. Only Sousa and Chardy managed to steal a set from Murray, who is 35-5 overall on the year.

Ferrer has not been quite as consistent as his opponent this season, but his best has been absolutely outstanding. The world No. 8 won three of his first four tournaments (Doha, Rio de Janeiro, and Acapulco) and he appears to be peaking again in Paris. Ferrer dropped two sets to Simone Bolelli during third-round action but rebounded to dominate 6-0, 6-1 in the fourth and fifth. His 12 victorious sets over Bolelli, Lukas Lacko, Daniel Gimeno-Traver, and Marin Cilic have ended 6-1, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3, 6-0, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2, and 6-4.

“It’s going to be tough,” Murray commented. “On this surface [Ferrer is] one of the top four or five players in the world. He’s made a final here and some semis. And the higher-ranked players you play the fewer opportunities they give you, the fewer mistakes they give you, especially in important moments. I’m going to have to be very patient.”

And he will have to be for an extended period of time through what is sure to be a grueling baseline battle. As well as Murray has been playing, the outcome of this matchup should continue to be dictated by the surface. Look for Ferrer to get enough looks at the Murray serve on clay to grind down the favorite at the end of an entertaining five-setter.

Pick: Ferrer in 5

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