Andy Murray def. David Ferrer 6-4 6-4
Much has been made hither and thither about whether Murray would be marking up the court with clay on his shoes, and by his own admission he set the scene that we should expect him to take some time to adjust.
At times the court looked more like a skating rink for the Brit as he skidded first this way then that, as Ferrer decided today would be a running day for everyone. The Spaniard was quick to put Murray under pressure, and we abandoned all hope of nipping down and grabbing a quick Five Guys burger and a nice Starbucks and settled in for a potential three setter.
It took just a single break at the end of the first set where the Spaniard all but broke himself, to put the Brit in the lead. But oh how quickly things turn, just as we were relishing the prospect of a Malted Shake.
Suddenly it was all Ferrer as he broke Murray straight away and we looked around for more comfy seating. Why are we being so doom and gloom? An exhausted Murray will find it hard to do the switcheroo back and forth, and this is a tough old group for the Brit.
But we needn’t have feared! He took advantage of a lapse from Ferrer to redress the balance, and broke him again to wrap up the win in straight sets.
“First couple of games my timing was a little bit off. But I got it back pretty quickly, which was pleasing. You know, if you’re looking for a little bit of rhythm, he’s also a guy who makes you hit a lot of balls. The rallies are often quite long, so you can get into a rhythm against him. So that was good.”
Indeed it was as his remaining two matches are going to be far tougher – as he meets one of these guys:
Preview: Stan Wawrinka v Rafael Nadal
It was a fairly pernickety Nadal who faced the press last week, taking great pains to point out that injuries are not what has stymied his progress this year, just playing badly!
Either way, this is likely to be another long battle to match their efforts in the Paris Masters quarter-final. Wawrinka just seems to have the edge between them and always tends to flap (like those picnic-table shorts) under the radar. Except that those shorts can be seen from space… so perhaps not then!
Nadal has picked up a little confidence since the US Open, and Wawrinka has perhaps had a couple of blips but overall has been far more consistent than the Spaniard.
Either way we think that has the makings of being a long match on Monday night.
Topics: 10sballs.com, Andy Murray, ATP World Tour Finals, global chick, London, Tennis News
Global Chick’s Day 2 Recap And Preview Of The ATP Year End Championships, Plus Her Picks For The #Nadal Vs #Wawrinka
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