DAVIS CUP RESULTS FROM GHENT, THE MURRAY BROTHERS ARE IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING TENNIS HISTORY, BRAVO JUDY MURRAY AND GRANDMA SHIRLEY

Written by: Global Chick on 28th November 2015

Davis Cup final Belgium vs Great Britain

DAVIS CUP RESULTS FROM GHENT, THE MURRAY BROTHERS ARE IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING TENNIS HISTORY, BRAVO JUDY MURRAY AND GRANDMA SHIRLEY

epa05046192 Britain's Andy Murray (L) and Jamie Murray react after winning the match against Belgium's David Goffin and Steve Darcis during the double match of the final of the Davis Cup World Group between Belgium and Great Britain in Gent, Belgium, 28 November 2015. EPA/LAURENT DUBRULE |

Saturday in Ghent, Murrays Make Hay In The Sunshine by Ros Satar

It was as if Friday had just been a prelude to a big party, when the revised Belgian team of Steve Darcis and David Goffin lined up to take on the Murray Brothers.

Cast your minds back, if you will, to the summer of 2015 and the quarter-final, where an exhausted Andy Murray was pretty much carried by his brother, who had been in his first Grand Slam final just a couple of weeks before, and then once more in Glasgow where the brothers paired up again for a thriller in the semi-final against Australia.

There were nerves, Plenty of them and it was fair to say on first look Jamie Murray and Darcis seemed to be the weaker of the pairings, so it was a surprise to say the least when it as Andy Murray fending off the first break point of the match and David Goffin surrendering the first break to give the Brits the advantage.

Retribution, when it came though was quick from the land of the waffles, as the targeted a nervy Jamie for the one break in the second set to level the match. But if it was nerves more raw than a freshly caught fish, then the third set had it all with no fewer than five breaks of serve with Jamie Murray and Darcis struggling to stay on terms in their service games, before once more Goffin lapsed enough to give the Brits the edge in their three-set shoot-out.

The Murrays have at least paired up before in Davis Cup, whereas Belgian Team Captain Johan Van Herck opted against using the rather useful Ruben Bemelmans who had some good doubles pedigree for Davis Cup, and opted for this pairing who had played three times but never on Davis Cup duty.

Britain’s Andy Murray (2nd L) and Jamie Murray react after winning the first set against Belgium’s David Goffin (R) and Steve Darcis (L) during a double match the third game of the final of the Davis Cup World Group between Belgium and Great Britain in Gent, Belgium, 28 November 2015. EPA/LAURENT DUBRULE

Darcis was again the weak link, and once he started swinging a bit wild, it looked as though the Brits would not lose – especially after Jamie Murray came through the clutch game to end all clutch games, saving seven break points to consolidate the first break on Darcis. The second was far more clinical, and it was left to Murray senior to serve out for the match.

Talk about sticking together the way brothers should – some superb set plays with Andy sharp as tacks at the net held the game afloat, and a second serve kicker on the second match point sat up just enough for Darcis to wing it wide and to give the Brits a valuable 2-1 lead with Andy Murray the first match on the board on Sunday.

Van Herck had to concede that putting in an untried pair in the Davis Cup Final had been a risk.

He said: “I think the experience of playing doubles together, the experience of playing doubles the whole year-round. I think we had chances, but we didn’t convert on it.”

Goffin now faces a tough challenge having lost twice to Murray on hard courts, and never having won a set off the Brit, his only victory as such being a walkover in Rome this year after Murray had won his first two clay court titles back to back in Munich and Madrid.

He said: “I’ve never played against Andy on clay court, so I’m going to try to, yeah, play my best tennis tomorrow. Of course, tomorrow I have nothing to lose. I just have to give everything I have for the match.

“I think on clay court I have some weapons to play a good match. I still don’t know how Andy’s going to play and how he’s feeling today, but I think I’m going to focus on what I have to do, and I will do it until the end.”

Britain’s Andy Murray in action against Belgium’s Ruben Bemelmans during the second match of the Davis Cup World Group Final between Belgium and Britain in Gent, Belgium, 27 November 2015. EPA/LAURENT DUBRULE

Murray, as always, is playing down the huge significance of the match on Sunday.

He said: “It’s far from over. Even if we lost the doubles, I would have said the same thing. I still think we have a very good chance in both of the matches tomorrow. Even if I was to lose against Goffin, I think we have a very good chance in the fifth rubber, whoever plays for them.

“Obviously to be up 2-1 gives us a better chance of winning. Only having to win one of those two is better than having to win both.”

However – he has beaten Goffin twice and the Belgian has yet to take a set off the Brit. Even his one ‘W’ on paper is accompanied with a ‘/O’ after Murray handed him a walkover in Rome.

Ros Has This Prediction:

The “House of Goffindor” to take it’s first set off the Brit but for the “Principality of Murray” to reign victorious over quite possibly the largest trophy in all of creation.

Topics: Andy Murray, Belgium, David Goffin, Davis Cup Finals, Davis cup results, Doubles tennis, Ghent, global chick, Great Britain, Jamie Murray, Men's tennis, Murray Brothers, Sports, Steve Darcis, Tennis News

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10sBalls_com says:

November 28, 2015 at 11:53 am

#DavisCup Results From #Ghent, The #MurrayBrothers Are In The Process Of Making #Tennis History
https://t.co/BD5ZIO4qaS #BackTheBrits