That’s all for today. Thank you for sitting with me for a nice afternoon of tennis.
After losing his first match in Washington last week (which may or may not have been a strategic defeat) he is playing very well in this hardcourt event, sharpening him for the real prize of the surface’s season: The US Open.
In his postgame interview Murray says it was hard for him to pick up the ball with the sun going in and out of clouds. He also struggled a bit with the wind (though it didn’t really show). He says it will be “awkward” to play against his brother in doubles later today. They haven’t faced each other since he was 14
Andy Murray wins! 6-3, 6-2
It only took 1:05 as Murray whipped through Muller to keep him perfect against left-handers in 2015. Murray was dominant throughout, playing very sharp. He had two minor glitches -- a shaky first game and a lost serve late in the second set but he only had six unforced errors the whole match.
Now comes his doubles match where he will face his brother Jamie for the first time ever as a pro.
Murray moves to the quarterfinals where he will play the winner of Bernard Tomic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
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Second set: Murray 5-2 *Muller (*denotes server)
Muller had the slightest of chances to get back in this match and he blew it. In a game that lasted over seven minutes he double-faulted three times to give Murray a break and put Murray on the brink of winning the match. Muller’s last double fault might have been the worst, with neither shot close to being in. He hits big but loses concentration easily.
Second set: *Murray 4-2 Muller (*denotes server)
Murray opens the door slightly but suddenly losing his first serve. Muller takes advantage of two flat second serves to win the final two points of the game. Murray is furious at his lapse in conversation, clenching his fist and punching his leg after one lost point.
Second set: Murray 4-1 *Muller (*denotes server)
Murray has two beautiful winners in this game. The first was his third lob for a point that again left Muller unable to recover. The other was a delicate drop right over the net that died just inside the line. After that, Muller double faults to give Murray the break.
Second set: *Murray 3-1 Muller (*denotes server)
Murray is sailing now. He quickly dispatches of Muller in this game. The match is only 46 minutes old. If this pace continues he can win it in less than an hour.
Second set: Murray 2-1 *Muller (*denotes server)
Muller is one of the tour’s alltime leaders in wins on a first serve, winning 77% of his first serves. He shows why quickly winning this game to hold serve.
Second set: *Murray 2-0 Muller (*denotes server)
Murray is playing doubles today as well and the interesting part of that is he will face his brother Jamie for the first time in their ATP careers. It’s good for him he isn’t burning a lot of energy today against Muller who continues to make unforced errors. Murray booms an ace on game point.
Second set: Murray 1-0 *Muller (*denotes server)
Muller starts the second set by replacing his green shirt with a yellow one. So far yellow does not become his tennis as he struggles with his serve and loses the game without winning a point.
Murray wins the first set 6-3
It might be windy in Montreal but Murray has his backhand working today. He stuns Muller with a leaping backhand volley at the net that dropped delicately past Muller who seemed to have no idea what to do. Despite going down 0-40 in the first game, Murray needed only 31 minutes to win the first set.
First set: Murray 5-3 *Muller (*denotes server)
Muller can serve and he makes the most of his big booming blasts to keep Murray from winning the first set by taking every point. The final winner was a blast down the line that Murray barely even moved for.
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First set: *Murray 5-2 Muller (*denotes server)
TV is making a big deal out of Murray wearing his wedding ring tied inside his shoelace. I’m not sure this is that unusual. I see a lot of basketball players do this but I digress. They seem to need something to talk about in what has become a pedestrian match. Murray drops another beautiful lob to hold serve and put himself at the brink of winning the set.
First set: Murray 4-2 *Muller (*denotes server)
Muller is a big hitting left-hander and you can really see it when he serves. He has an awkward style in which he lunges forward then swings back before hitting but it gives him power. This was very apparent on his first point when he blasted an ace right down the line.
First set: *Murray 4-1 Muller (*denotes server)
Murray is starting to cruise here. Muller did have a very nice return that pushed Murray far to his left and forced him to hit a backhand that just missed being in. If Muller can make Murray do this frequently he has a chance but he has to be more consistent.
First set Murray 3-1 *Muller (*denotes server)
Murray breaks Muller with two spectacular shots. The first a backhand pass that skipped just inside the back right corner of the court to put him break point. The second was a fantastic lob that left Muller flat-footed and helpless to do anything but watch it drop in to give him the break.
First set: *Murray 2-1 Muller (*denotes server)
Murray might have looked a bit shaky a the very beginning but his serve is starting to work. He took barely more than a minute to storm through this game finishing it off with his third ace of the day.
First set: Murray 1-1 *Muller (*denotes server)
Muller showed no ill effects of blowing his chance to break Murray in the first game, serving out quickly. Early on, Muller seems more comfortable than Murray.
First set: *Murray 1-0 Muller (*denotes server)
Murray looks to be struggling with the wind and the sun peeking in and out of the clouds but he fought back from 0-40 to take the first set. Muller had a great chance to make a statement right at the start but squandered four break points.
While we wait for Murray and Muller to warm up allow me to go on a bit about why Unprix (I can never get used to saying that) Stadium is one of my favorites in tennis. I’m not sure how many know it was once known as Jarry Park and was the original home of baseball’s Montreal Expos who played there from 1969-1977 before moving into the cavernous Olympic Stadium across town.
Jarry Park was a wonderful, tiny little ballpark with a few bleachers on the sides and a curved grandstand behind home plate. Its one distinctive feature was a swimming pool behind right field. Some of Jarry Park remains. If you watch today you can see the curved grandstand behind one baseline and the press box that remains at the top of that grandstand. The rest of the stadium has long been rebuilt.
OK now on to tennis...
The start appears to be delayed a bit as the Chardy-Karlovic match at the stadium court next door is running long and television (along with most of the spectators) are at the second stadium court. But the players are making their way onto the main court to warm up. We should have tennis soon.
This is Muller’s first Rogers Cup which is amazing given that he has basically been on the ATP Tour since 2004 and Rogers Cup is a significant summer stop. So far, though, he is undefeated in Rogers Cup play so there is that! Muller is 0-6 against top 10 players this year. He is inside the top 50 in ATP rankings for the second year in a row -- currently at 46th, down from a high of 34 in February.
Hello, welcome to the liveblog of today’s Murray-Muller match. We will begin shortly. In the meantime, here are a few interesting facts about Murray this year... He is 9-0 this year against left-handers and 68-18 over his career. Muller, of course, is left-handed. Murray is also playing for his 50th victory this season. If he wins it will be the second-fastest he has reached that mark. That was 2011 when he reached it in his 51st match of the year. He is currently 49-3.
Les will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s Kevin Mitchell on Nick Kyrgios:
There would seem to be little wrong with Nick Kyrgios’s tennis lately. He looks fit and in form, and the gifted young Australian may do some damage in the final slam of the season in New York later this month. But there is a lot wrong with Nick Kyrgios. The kid needs help.
The latest in the 20-year-old’s growing list of look-at-me moments – telling Stan Wawrinka in public that fellow player Thanasi Kokkinakis had slept with his girlfriend – was by some way Kyrgios’s worst. It will probably result in a fine, a grunted apology and, if the narrative plays out the way it has done at Wimbledon and elsewhere over the past year or so, there will be another incident up the road soon enough.
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