MURRAY OUTLASTS GASQUET IN CINCINNATI

Written by: Staff on 22nd August 2015

MURRAY OUTLASTS GASQUET IN CINCINNATI

epa04891990 Andy Murray of Great Britain hits a return shot to Richard Gasquet of France during their quarterfinal round match in the Western & Southern Open at the Linder Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, USA, 21 August 2015. EPA/TANNEN MAURY |

Andy Murray of Great Britain hits a return shot to Richard Gasquet of France during their quarterfinal round match in the Western & Southern Open at the Linder Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, USA, 21 August 2015. EPA/TANNEN MAURY

Andy Murray downed Richard Gasquet 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 on Friday in Cincinnati to continue his quest for a 12th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title. Murray now has 56 wins in 2015, more than any other player on the ATP World Tour.

In the opening set, the Frenchman gutted out a 12-minute-long service game at 3-4, during which he saved three break points, before breaking the World No. 2 at 4-4 and then serving out the set. Murray, who looked to dictate rallies by hugging the baseline, had 14 winners and 13 unforced errors in the first set. Meanwhile, Gasquet struck 15 winners and made only five unforced errors.

“If you feel you have a chance and you don’t take it, and you lose the first couple of points of the next game, then you feel like the momentum has kind of shifted the other way,” said Murray. “Because of our scoring system, that can happen very quickly.”

In the second set, Murray went back to basics, put 71 per cent of first serves in play, and cut his unforced error count to seven. The Brit converted on two of four break point chances, while his opponent came up empty on three break opportunities.

With the match tied, Murray continued to apply pressure and earned the critical break in the deciding set when Gasquet double-faulted at 4-4, 15/40. Murray opened his final service game with a double fault of his own, but held on to end the match after two hours and six minutes.

“[I’m] obviously tired. Played a lot of matches, a lot of late nights where my recovery hasn’t been perfect either,” said Murray, who saved a match point and needed three hours to take out Grigor Dimitrov in the previous round. “So I’m just happy I managed to fight through a lot of tough matches, difficult situations, and hopefully that will keep me in good stead.”

In the semi-finals, he will face either Roger Federer or Feliciano Lopez for a shot at the Western & Southern Open title. Murray, who won the Rogers Cup last week, has never completed a Canada-Cincinnati sweep.

Courtesy of the ATP and Original Link – http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/cincinnati-2015-friday-murray-gasquet

Topics: Andy Murray, Atp World Tour, Cincinnati Masters, Cincy Tennis, Feliciano Lopez, GRIGOR DIMITROV, Richard Gasquet, Roger Federer, Sports, Tennis

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10sBalls_com says:

August 22, 2015 at 8:50 am

-@andy_murray OUTLASTS @richardgasquet1 IN #Cincinnati- http://t.co/3fP45dtnQ5 #CincyTennis #Murray #tennis #atpcincinnati #WSOpen