Murray too much for Del Potro in French Open third round

Andy Murray has struggled to maintain momentum from his 2016 run to the world No. 1 ranking, but he may be heating up just in time for the most important part of the year.

With the season’s second Grand Slam in progress, another one exactly one month away, and a third to begin in less than three months, Murray has raised his level to the tune an impressive first week at the French Open. Following four-set wins over Andrey Kuznetsov and Martin Klizan, the top seed took down Juan Martin Del Potro 7-6(8), 7-5, 6-0 to book a place in the fourth round on Saturday afternoon.

Murray survived a one-hour and 25-minute first set and prevailed after two hours and 53 minutes overall.

A grueling opener that in hindsight proved to be decisive saw Del Potro earn set points in three different games–at 5-3, 5-4 (serving), and in the tiebreaker at 7-6 and 8-7. The 30th-ranked Argentine turned in a costly double-fault on his third set point at 7-6 in the ‘breaker.

Following the set, a distraught Del Potro slumped over the net in agony for more almost a minute.

“Too much frustration,” the 2009 U.S. Open champion said of his reaction. “I couldn’t believe that set–that I lost that set. Because I had many opportunities to win. I have been playing great, great points during whole the first set. But this happens when you play against the No. 1 in the world or a great champion as Andy.”

“Regardless of how someone reacts necessarily, you still have to expect that they are going to come out and start the set strong,” Murray explained. “I was starting to play a bit better towards the end of the set. I was starting to get a better read on the returns, and I wanted to come out and make it really tough for him beginning of that second set–because he had had opportunities to close it out.

“It was like an hour and a half set that he just lost and I wanted to keep the momentum with me.”

Murray broke serve right away in the second and although the Scot gave it back at 5-4, he eventually sealed the deal 7-5. Another fast start in the third saw Murray break Del Potro for a 1-0 lead, and this time it was full steam ahead. The 2016 Roland Garros runner-up did not drop a single game in the set and he lost only 11 points in total.

“It was obviously an important win for me and a big match, because when he’s playing well, (he) is one of the best players in the world,” Murray said of Del Potro. “To be playing him this early on in the slam is obviously not easy, but it can be a very positive thing. (When) you play someone that good, maybe you’re a little bit more switched on. Your focus is maybe a little bit higher.

“Definitely on the clay court season, (the) second or third sets were the best I have played, for sure.”

“He took the little chance to win both (of the first two) sets,” Del Potro lamented. “Then in the third was really hard to me mentally. But anyways, I think I did a good tournament. I did a good clay season and I’m looking forward to playing [well on] the grass.”