Andy Murray’s next opponent at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia knows a thing or two about hot streaks. The only previous encounter between Murray and David Goffin came last summer at Wimbledon, where Murray cruised 6-1, 6-4, 7-5. Goffin promptly went on an incredible 25-match winning streak, with two ATP titles, two Challenger triumphs, and a run to the Winston-Salem quarterfinals as a qualifier.
Now it is Murray who cannot lose. The third-ranked Scot captured not one but two titles last week. That’s right; the Munich final was delayed by rain until Monday, when Murray finished off Philipp Kohlschreiber. He won the Madrid Masters six days later, trouncing Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-2 in the championship showdown.
Murray thought about withdrawing from Rome in order to rest, but he decided to play at the last minute and Jeremy Chardy paid the price on Wednesday. The two-time major champion got the job done 6-4, 6-3 and got off the court after just one hour and 24 minutes.
“My legs were a bit tired at the beginning,” Murray commented. “But then I started to feel better after the first few games. For me, I felt like I played a really good match. He served big for the first set and a half. It was tough for me. But I hung in; I felt like I moved pretty well and I served well throughout the match. I was happy with the way I adjusted to the conditions. I felt like I moved well and made it difficult for him to win free points.”Murray-Chardy highlights:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH7LMxzmaSk]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH7LMxzmaSk]
Pablo Cuevas made things difficult for Roger Federer for the second time in three weeks, but Federer once again came up with all the answers. The two veterans faced each other in the recent Istanbul final, with Federer scoring a 6-3, 7-6(11) victory. This time around, the 33-year-old Swiss advanced with a 7-6(3), 6-4 win.
“I know I’m not the favorite, like maybe I was in other years, but who cares really,” Federer said. “I’m happy I won my first-round match. That was my focus, especially after last week and last year here, both matches I lost with match points. So I’m happy to get the victory tonight.”
Federer-Cuevas highlights:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBuDDfvgL_k]
Federer-Cuevas highlights:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBuDDfvgL_k]
Next up for the world No. 2 is Kevin Anderson, who is still alive in both singles and doubles in Rome. He teamed up with Jeremy Chardy to stun Bob and Mike Bryan on Wednesday.
[polldaddy poll=8865394]
[polldaddy poll=8865394]
Leave a Reply