Andy Murray wins 6-1, 6-1, 6-4!
Murray isn’t in the mood to keep this going any longer and begins by bulleting a forehand pass down the line, before winning a brilliant extended rally with a delicate forehand flick. Then he drags Haase to the net with a drop shot and earns three match points with a killer backhand. He can’t take the first, missing a backhand, but he’s not made to wait for long, banging a backhand from left to right to put Haase out of his misery. Thanks for reading. Bye.
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Third set: Murray 6-1, 6-1, 5-4 Haase* (*denotes server): Looking to end this one-sided battering now, Murray crunches a forehand into the corner to take a 0-30 lead. Haase digs in to win the next three points, though, and holds when Murray flicks a drop shot wide. The match still a pulse, but it’s a faint one - Murray will now serve for it.
Third set: Murray* 6-1, 6-1, 5-3 Haase (*denotes server): Haase blocks a return into the air and then charges like a 100m sprinter to the net in a hilarious bid to put Murray off. The ruse doesn’t work. Murray is unflustered. Worth a try. But Murray holds.
Third set: Murray 6-1, 6-1, 4-3 Haase* (*denotes server): At 0-15, Haase plays arguably the worst drop of all time, the ball not even reaching the net. That was preposterously bad, the shot that sums up his entire match. Haase fights back to 30-all - and then he double-faults to give Murray a break point. Knocked off balance by a deep Murray return, Haase pulls a timid forehand wide to drop his serve. That should be that. And that was awful.
Third set: Murray* 6-1, 6-1, 3-3 Haase (*denotes server): Haase has not dealt well with wide serves to his forehand. Two identical misses make it 30-15. Murray grabs the next two points easily.
Third set: Murray 6-1, 6-1, 2-3 Haase* (*denotes server): A few sloppy points from both men brings the game to 30-all. Murray then admonishes himself for not reading a wide serve, before knocking a forehand wide at 40-30. Haase is salvaging some pride.
Third set: Murray* 6-1, 6-1, 2-2 Haase (*denotes server): Murray has to be a little bit careful now. Haase is getting pumped up at last, deciding that he doesn’t want to leave Wimbledon without at least putting up something approaching a fight, and Muray doesn’t want to give him any encouragement. Haase can be dangerous when he gets going, as he has shown when these two have played in the past, so Murray will be pleased with a simple hold to 15.
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Third set: Murray 6-1, 6-1, 1-2 Haase* (*denotes server): Haase’s brief and exhilarating surge fades away a little when he slices into the net on the first point, before Murray shows off his ability on the forehand side, whipping a brilliant winner from right to left for 0-30. Haase claws his way back to 30-all but then spoons a forehand into the sky to give Murray a break point. Murray is forced to drag a backhand pass wide, though, by some more powerful shotmaking from Haase, who then wins an entertaining rally with a lovely drop shot. He’s loosened up. He’s finally starting to play some tennis after an hour or so of utter filth and he holds thanks to a fine forehand. “Come on!” he roars.
Third set: Murray* 6-1, 6-1, 1-1 Haase (*denotes server): A dozy Murray is given a warning by two outstanding points from Haase, who moves into a 15-30 lead with two wonderfully aggressive forehands. Where has this been? It’s a bit late now and Murray knuckles down to hold.
Third set: Murray 6-1, 6-1, 0-1 Haase* (*denotes server): Haase holds! He’s only got to win another 17 games and the match is his.
Andy Murray wins the second set 6-1; he leads 6-1, 6-1
This is stinking tennis from Haase. He bombs another forehand long to hand Murray three set points. Murray, almost out of boredom, fails to take the first two, but it was never likely to matter much against an opponent who is floundering this much. Haase dabs a lumpen slice into the net and the second set is over. “I’m not sure Nick Clegg will be the answer to Haase’s problems,” says David Hopkins. “Wouldn’t he just advise him to chum up with Novak Djokovic, in the vain hope of getting some credit for his success, while in fact he’ll end up being shunned by Djokovic once he gets sick of him, then shunned by everyone else for being such a shameless, toadying opportunist?”
Second set: Murray 6-1, 5-1 Haase* (*denotes server): Haase looks like he’s on something of a roll on his serve when he leads 40-0, only to lose three straight points to bring the game to deuce. Murray earns a break point, attacking a second serve and flicking a forehand winner from right to left, and he swaggers off into the distance with a game that he should never have been allowed to win, whacking a backhand from left to right to further darken Haase’s already pitch black mood.
Second set: Murray* 6-1, 4-1 Haase (*denotes server): Murray skips into a 30-0 lead thanks to two aces, the second fizzing past Haase’s racket, the Dutchman having a swing and a miss because of a dodgy mess. Nothing’s going his way. Murray strolls away with another game.
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Second set: Murray 6-1, 3-1 Haase* (*denotes server): Haase holds to 15! He wins a game!
Second set: Murray* 6-1, 3-0 Haase (*denotes server): If Haase needs advice from anyone on how to stay positive when you’re chasing a lost cause, Nick Clegg is watching on Court 1. I’m doing satire now. That was satire. And it seems that the mere sight of Clegg has caused Murray’s level to drop, a wayward backhand handing Haase his first break point of the match. Yet he can’t take advantage. He lines up a forehand well but he can’t execute it properly, pulling the ball wide. I’m not sure a flat-footed Murray would have got there if Haase had hit the target. The chance spurned by Haase, Murray holds again. He’s now won nine straight games. “Wouldn’t Dr Melfi have chosen an hour with Tony irrespective, given her sublimated attraction to him?” says Kristian Petterson. “Or am I mis-recalling that plot-line?” Over the British No1? That’s treasonable talk.
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Second set: Murray 6-1, 2-0 Haase* (*denotes server): Haase’s 10th unforced error makes it 0-30. This is becoming uncomfortable to watch. Haase tries a drop shot from the back of the court, forgetting how quick his opponent is. Murray is there in a flash, whipping a forehand away to earn three break points. Haase promptly balloons a forehand long; that’s Murray’s fourth successive break. You have to feel for Haase.
Second set: Murray* 6-1, 1-0 Haase (*denotes server): What Murray needs to guard against is complacency. He can’t allow himself to be lulled into a false sense of security by Haase’s internal struggle here. He shows no sign of letting that happen when he pounds an ace away for 30-0, although a couple of errant forehands give Haase a way back into the game. Murray responds with a 129mph ace down the middle, his quickest serve so far; then, because he’s Andy Murray, he double faults to bring the game to deuce. But he holds, Haase continuing to misfire.
Andy Murray wins the first set 6-1!
It’s getting to the point where Haase is going to ask the umpire if they can bring the tramlines into play. More jittery errors hand Murray a set point at 30-40. Murray is unforgiving. He pummels a backhand deep into Haase territory and the Dutchman’s blocked backhand flies long. The first set is Murray’s. Did he even play well? It’s impossible to say. His opponent has experienced a total malfunction. He’s barely done anything right since winning the opening game of the match. He’s only got 38% of his first serves in.
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First set: Murray* 5-1 Haase (*denotes server): Murray holds to love. Haase can’t make a ball at the moment.
First set: Murray 4-1 Haase* (*denotes server): Haase is making this too easy for Murray, a double-fault making it 0-15. That’s followed by an astonishing exhibition of Murray’s defence. He reads a piercing forehand from Haase and hangs a lob up into the air. Haase should win the point but he directs his smash too close to the whirring Murray, who zones in on the ball and swipes a clubbed forehand back into the open court. Haase is disintegrating. He panics, another double fault presenting Murray with three break points, and he’s looking pretty sorry for himself as a trademark backhand lob sails over his head. Murray is in complete control.
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First set: Murray* 3-1 Haase (*denotes server): The sun isn’t particularly bright in SW19 at the moment but Murray still has his cap on and it helps him win the first point with a sliced ace out wide. All hail the cap of glory! It seems to be messing with Haase’s head. He continues to keep the line judges busy and Murray holds to love.
First set: Murray 2-1 Haase* (*denotes server): At 15-all, a backhand slice from Haase hangs in the air and doesn’t fall in time, landing just wide. Out! Haase isn’t convinced, though, and he challenges, but to no avail. The call was spot on and Murray then snatches two break points. Haase comes to the net but he’s unable to sort himself out in time to respond to a bodied backhand from Murray. Haase saves the first with a commanding smash but not the second, wonking a backhand long. He’ll be furious with himself. That was a gift of a game. Murray hardly had to do anything to break, instead waiting for Haase to make errors.
First set: Murray* 1-1 Haase (*denotes server): Murray, wearing a cap to guard his eyes from the serve, walks to the baseline, ready to serve. He’s blinking a bit. He misses a first serve. His second serve is inviting for Haase, but he blasts a forehand return long. He went after that one but Murray soon leads 40-15, hopping to the net to put away a neatly disguised backhand volley. He holds when Haase runs around a forehand, quick feet putting him in position for the shot, and sends it just wide.
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First set: Murray 0-1 Haase* (*denotes server): Andy Murray won the toss and chose to receive. They begin with a cautious point, feeling each other out with a few tentative strokes, before Haase pulls the trigger with a Murray-esque backhand down the line. That’ll settle any lingering nerves, as will an ace to make it 30-0. Haase holds to love.
Haase was also a finalist in the boy’s singles here in 2005, losing to Jeremy Chardy, so he knows a thing or two about grass.
Tok! Tok! Tokity tok! They’re warming up.
Here come the players. There is excitement on Court 1. These people cannot wait to catch a glimpse of Robin Haase.
An interesting fact about Robin Haase: although he is left-handed, he plays with his right hand. He is the anti-Nadal.
Preamble
Hello. Andy Murray is just so ... so ... so Andymurrayish. He really is. For all that he has become a granite-willed and brilliantly skilled champion with the grand slam wins and Olympic gold that his talent deserves, there are times when he slips into bad old ways, treating himself to the odd inexplicable mid-match capitulation here and there, as he did during his first-round win over Mikhail Kukushkin on Tuesday. As much as he tries to hide his true nature and Don Draper his way to 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 win after 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 win, he can’t always stop his inner Dick Whitman bubbling up to the surface.
From a position of dominance, a set and 5-2 up, Murray’s first serve suddenly deserted him and he found himself trailing 6-5, Kukushkin, a tricky customer, serving for the second set. Obviously Murray broke back and forced a tie-break, in which he quickly held five set points. Obviously Murray double-faulted on the first point and then played a lame drop shot on the second, because where’s the fun in making life easy for yourself, and then took the third, presumably laughing to himself beneath his scowl at the needless torture he had just put the great Great British public through. Tee hee hee! Tee hee!
There’s rarely any point to be gained in trying to make sense of Murray - in a straight choice between spending an hour with him or Tony Soprano, Dr Melfi would definitely choose the latter - and that’s part of his unique charm. A truly ridiculous man. Gotta love him.
The 2013 champion will be looking for a more straightforward outing against his old chum, Robin Haase, who beat Colombia’s Alejandro Falla on Tuesday. He’s only lost to the Dutchman once, back in 2008 in Rotterdam, and he’s three for three against the world No78 in grand slams, although Haase has pushed Murray hard twice at the US Open. Murray flirted with disaster in 2011, having to fight back from two sets down to win, and he also cramped badly during his win over Hasse in New York last year. Murray had to be at his most obstinate to win in four sets that day and he’ll be after less drama on Court 1 this afternoon. But sometimes he just can’t help himself.
Play begins at: 1pm BST.
