A Spark of better tennis on Day 3.
With all the feeling of one of those Grand Slams that insist on playing first round matches for the entire first week, the search for match of note continued on Tuesday after the curse of the breadstick score-lines.
The first match – Roger Federer & Kei Nishikori actually promised much, Nishikori had started impressively against Andy Murray on the first day and, let’s face it, Federer was all over Raonic like the rash that had inhabited the be-sleeved arm.
It certainly looked as though Nishikori would be the sharper of the two, as an irritated Federer treated a linesman to a glare that Darth Vader would have been proud off (if you could see under the mask that is).
But with it was Federer who got the first break and Nishikori just could not find his way into the match.
“I didn’t play really bad. But still, you know, I wasn’t really consistent everything, my serve, my strokes. I had a little bit of unforced errors. So that’s why I couldn’t, you know, stay there.”
With Federer now 2-0 he will have been hoping for a typical Murray grindfest, perhaps wishing that the Brit would see Raonic on the call-sheet, assume it was Tommy Robredo and go for a 5-match-point saving special.
He needed Murray to win in three to guarantee his place, so of course the Brit could be relied upon to actually pull out a win in two.
With a lively crowd, and nary a shout from a wag of “Come On Tim,” the crowd got behind their man, who capitalised on some error-strewn moments from Raonic who could not quite get behind his sometimes lacking first serve.
There was a brief flurry of solid serving from the Canadian, but on the night, the Brit just seemed to a touch more momentum when it really counted. You had to take your hat off to him for the cheeky challenge on the second match point to delay Murray’s moment and the dash for the tube home, but Murray now has a shot (albeit a touch slim) as he faces the final round against Federer on Wednesday.
Murray was understandably a touch more chipper about this performance than his opener:
“I obviously played better tonight. I hit the ball a lot cleaner than I did on Sunday from the beginning of the match. So that was pleasing. [I] started to try and use as much variation as possible on my second serve. So served more serves into his forehand. I wouldn’t serve like two or three serves to the same spot in a row. I would just try and use as much variation as I could so that he couldn’t be in as much of a rhythm.”
Raonic really had to face up to the fact that the biggest part of his game had deserted him so far in London:
“Whatever the reason is, I have 24 hours to solve it if I want to have any hope. There’s no way around that.”
He continued: “I’ve been too passive on the court. I’ve been trying to beat the two guys playing their tennis, and that’s going to work for me.”
No clear names to advance means it all comes down to the last day which on the one had is exciting and on the other, makes people run for calculators or just plain for cover as the permutations start to do the rounds. If Federer wins, and the umbrella of the doorman is pointing to the East, then Murray will get the boat at 3 o’clock. That kind of thing.
Murray had a pretty good grasp of the mechanics, in his post match press conference.
“For me it depends on the winner of the Nishikori/Raonic match. If Kei wins, then I need to beat Roger, it depends on the score-line of that match with Kei and Raonic. If Raonic wins, then I know that all I need to do is win the match against Roger and I’ll be through.’
He concluded: ‘Hopefully I can get through the group and keep going. If not, playing against Roger is a good way for me to finish the year, as well.”
And yes – still straight sets wins all the way.
Topics: 02 Arena, Barclays World Tour, global chick, tennis update
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