Andy Murray’s prize is a quarter-final against Gilles Muller. Can he handle that big serve? We’ll find out tomorrow but one thing’s for sure, he’ll probably need to be a bit sharper than he was today. He’s through, though, and that’s all that matters. Thanks for reading. Bye.
Andy Murray wins 7-5, 6-4!
Verdasco is up 40-30 thanks to some expert slicing and dicing. But then he double-faults for the second time in the game, before netting a backhand to let Murray back in at deuce. Murray takes control. He overpowers Verdasco with some crunching forehands to earn a match point - surprisingly, though, he lets it go to waste with a sloppy slice that goes wide. Verdasco is also in a generous mood, however, and another double-fault gives Murray a second match point. He thinks he has an ace, only for the umpire to call a let. Then it happens again! What rotten luck! What are the odds of that happening twice? Eventually it’s a second serve. They rally, Verdasco wonks a backhand wide and long, and this strange match is over.
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Second set: Murray* 7-5, 5-4 Verdasco (*denotes server): A peach of a backhand return leaves Verdasco poised to win the first point with an easy forehand. Instead he blasts the ball off in the direction of Richmond. What a miss! When he misses, he misses good, he misses big, he leaves no room for any doubt. Murray holds to 30.
Second set: Murray 7-5, 4-4 Verdasco* (*denotes server): Verdasco holds. We are approaching the business end of the second set and both men will be feeling confident about their chances.
Second set: Murray* 7-5, 4-3 Verdasco (*denotes server): Murray creeps closer towards victory with a breezy hold to 15.
Second set: Murray 7-5, 3-3 Verdasco* (*denotes server): Murray challenges a first serve from Verdasco. It’s well out. Verdasco’s second serve is then called out, only for the line judge to correct himself, meaning he’s awarded a first serve. He wants the first serve, though, given that Murray couldn’t return it. Murray sportingly concedes the point and neither player is particularly happy with some of these calls. Verdasco holds to love.
Second set: Murray* 7-5, 3-2 Verdasco (*denotes server): “Minging!” Murray shouts. “Minging!” He’s never dull. He’s furious with himself after tame play lets Verdasco bullet a backhand down the line for a 0-30 lead. Verdasco lets him off the hook with a useless return off a second serve and Murray takes control with two forehands that are the exact opposite of minging. Verdasco then slices into the net and Murray hangs on to his serve. Just. He’s played some very underwhelming tennis at times, but he’s just about doing enough.
Second set: Murray 7-5, 2-2 Verdasco* (*denotes server): After the disappointment of failing to take those three break points, Verdasco starts this game with a double-fault. You fear for him here, especially when he lobs a terrible forehand long to give Murray a 15-30 lead. Another double-fault gifts Murray a break point. Verdasco is so up and down; he saves the break point by whistling a forehand down the line and he holds by blasting an ace down the middle.
Second set: Murray* 7-5, 2-1 Verdasco (*denotes server): Verdasco storms a forehand past Murray for a 0-15 lead, then dominates the next rally with another display of power, polishing off the point with a nice little volley. Murray then completely loses the run of himself, a spectacular brain melt here, and chucks a calamitous forehand into the net to present Verdasco with three gift-wrapped break points. Verdasco can do nothing with a presentable forehand on the first point, however, and Murray, the grittiest of competitors, then fires down two aces! There are worse ways to save three consecutive break points, but that’s Murray for you, a wonderful peculiar man whose every peculiar move is impossible to predict. A despondent Verdasco then twice knocks the ball past the baseline and Murray tiptoes to a hold.
Second set: Murray 7-5, 1-1 Verdasco* (*denotes server): Verdasco rips into a couple of forehands and holds to 30.
Second set: Murray* 7-5, 1-0 Verdasco (*denotes server): At 30-15, Murray chucks in a 79mph second serve. It’s asking for the treatment from Verdasco. It gets it, via a stunning backhand down the line. “So bad,” says Murray. It sure is. Soon Verdasco has a break point, Murray choosing a bad moment to attack the net, but the Spaniard is livid with himself after pulling a backhand wide right. Murray comes up with an ace down the middle, then defends another second serve that packs about as much of a punch as a plain jacket potato, and flicks a wonderful backhand pass from left to right. Vintage Murray.
Andy Murray wins the first set 7-5!
The umpire calls a Verdasco first serve out. Verdasco challenges. It was in. How embarrassing. The point is replayed and Murray wins it, going in for the kill after a backhand down the line, pulling the trigger with a deft volley. Verdasco then blooters a forehand long and Murray earns two set points with some canny slicing. Verdasco saves both of them, though, his forehand crackling into top gear. But it’s an unpredictable weapon. Moments later, he sprints forward to meet a short ball and he spanks a dismal forehand a good few yards wide; he challenges, but Hawkeye isn’t his friend here. Another set point for Murray, then, and this time Verdasco cracks. Murray’s backhand return from left to right is good. Verdasco’s forehand into the net is bad.
First set: Murray* 6-5 Verdasco (*denotes server): Murray’s second serve remains a worry. Verdasco can attack. That’s what he does on the first point and it sets up for a fizzing forehand winner down the line. 0-15. He goes for broke on the next point too but this time he puts to much heat on a forehand. Then he lets Murray off the hook after a superb backhand return down the line, failing to polish off the point at the net with a spinning volley. Murray holds.
First set: Murray 5-5 Verdasco* (*denotes server): The pair of them trade careful shots from the back of the court. Murray changes the pace with a low slice and Verdasco, his balance disrupted, loops a forehand long. Solid serving brings him the next three points, though, and he holds when Murray batters a forehand long.
First set: Murray* 5-4 Verdasco (*denotes server): Murray climbs out from underneath the duvet and stops what was threatening to turn into The Rot. Verdasco will have to hold serve to keep the first set good and healthy.
First set: Murray 4-4 Verdasco* (*denotes server): Murray is going through one of his infamous dozy spells and starts this game by finding the net again, this time with a backhand. This is Not Good from Murray and Verdasco’s interest has been piqued by these recent developments. He holds to 15 thanks to a booming ace out wide.
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First set: Murray* 4-3 Verdasco (*denotes server): Verdasco inconveniences Murray for the first time on his serve, forcing himself to 30-all thanks to a cracking forehand which he follows up by a snappy volley at the net. In between those two shots, he threatened to ruin everything with a useless drop shot but Murray couldn’t punish him. The game goes to deuce and Verdasco earns a break point when Murray nets a forehand. Murray hands back the break by carelessly introducing the net to another of his forehands.
First set: Murray 4-2 Verdasco* (*denotes server): Verdasco’s forehand can either look like the best in the game or like it belongs to a park player. Three beauties and one duffer give him a 40-15 lead, before a double-fault makes it 40-30. He holds, though, when Murray nets a backhand return.
First set: Murray* 4-1 Verdasco (*denotes server): Verdasco isn’t with us yet. His returns have largely been awful.
First set: Murray 3-1 Verdasco* (*denotes server): Verdasco begins with a couple of easy points. That’ll steady him somewhat and soon it’s 40-0. Murray has found the net three times. He ends the game by floating a backhand return past the baseline.
First set: Murray* 3-0 Verdasco (*denotes server): Trailing 0-15, Murray indulges in more gleeful dropshottery, a feathery touch winning the point. From there, a double-fault at 40-15 aside, the game is a doddle.
First set: Murray 2-0 Verdasco* (*denotes server): Verdasco is erratic. He starts the game with a double-fault, an ace and a double-fault, in that order. He’s already put himself under needless pressure and Murray seizes on those errors by dinking a soft drop shot over the net to earn two break points. Murray crunches a forehand to the left to forge ahead. That was ruthless from Murray.
First set: Murray* 1-0 Verdasco (*denotes server): Given what has happened to some of the top players in the past couple of days, Murray will need to be on his guard against Verdasco. He won’t want his name to be added to a list of casualties which already contains Grigor Dimitrov, Stan Wawrinka and Rafael Nadal. He gets off to a comfortable start here, holding to 30.
Tok! Tok! Tok! They’re knocking up. The winner of this match will play Gilles Muller, conqueror of Grigor Dimitrov, in the quarter-final.
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Preamble
Hello. Who else remembers that time when Andy Murray was two sets down to Fernando Verdasco at Wimbledon? But then he came back to win and then he won Wimbledon! Maybe he’ll win Wimbledon this year, too, and maybe he’ll win Queen’s as well. First he has to get past ... Fernando Verdasco. He’s only lost to him once, at the Australian Open in 2009 - but who else remembers that time when Andy Murray was two sets down to Fernando Verdasco at Wimbledon?
Play begins: soon.
