Murray To Play Djokovic In Italian Open Final

 

Murray will return to number two in the world rankings on Monday, even if he loses the Rome final

British number one Andy Murray reached his first Italian Open final with a straight-set victory over unseeded Frenchman Lucas Pouille.

Murray, seeded second, won 6-2, 6-1 in a rain-interrupted semi-final at Rome’s Foro Italico to make Sunday’s final.

He now meets Novak Djokovic – who beat him in last week’s Madrid Open final – after the Serb defeated Kei Nishikori.

In the women’s singles, top seed Serena Williams will face Madison Keys on Sunday in an all-American final.

Murray makes swift progress despite rain

World number three Murray, who will be 29 on Sunday, broke serve four times as he won in 59 minutes.

The first semi-final was delayed by an hour because of heavy rain, and the players were forced off for 15 minutes during the first set.

“I think it is the first time since I’ve been on Tour that I’ve not had a chance to hit balls before going on to the court,” said Murray.

“It pretty much rained non-stop and then they flipped the schedule around so I didn’t feel that comfortable coming on to court.

Djokovic beat Murray in last week’s Madrid Open final

“But he made a few mistakes and I served well to make it easy for myself.”

In between the showers, Murray was at his ruthless best against world number 52 Pouille, playing his first ATP Masters semi-final.

The 22-year-old looked nervous as he dropped serve from 40-0 in the fourth game and – after that brief rain delay – Murray broke again to clinch the set.

It was a similar story in the second set, with Murray repeatedly drawing his opponent into the net and setting up the passing shot.

Two more breaks of serve gave Murray the match and he left the Centrale Court in sunshine, having surpassed his best effort of reaching the last four in 2011.

“A lot of the best players of all time have played, won and competed for the title here, so I’m very happy to get the chance to do that,” added Murray.

“After 10 years of kind of struggling on the clay and especially this event maybe not playing my best, I’m happy to be there.”

Djokovic provides final test

Novak Djokovic converted only two out of 14 break points in a thrilling semi-final against Kei Nishikori

Murray completes his preparation for the French Open, which starts on 22 May, by facing world number one Djokovic in Sunday’s final.

The Serb, 28, needed to dig deep to beat Nishikori in the second semi-final, eventually prevailing 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) in a match lasting a minute over three hours.

“Any time you get the chance to play the best players, especially right before a Slam, is great preparation,” said Murray, who has won just one of his past 13 matches against Djokovic.

“Regardless of who I play in the final, I know I will be pushed hard. That’s what you want.”

Murray is bidding to win the third clay-court title of his career after finally succeeding on the surface in back-to-back tournaments last year.

“Clay is not my most natural surface, but because of the wins I’ve had on it in the last few years, once I’ve played a few matches and had a bunch of practice sessions on it, I do start to feel much better,” said Murray, who reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros in 2011, 2014 and 2015.

“I believe that I can compete with the best players on this surface now, because of the wins I’ve had in the last two years.”

Serena Williams has won 15 successive matches against American opponents since sister Venus beat her at Montreal in 2014

Serena finding form before French Open

Williams reached her fourth Italian Open final with a 6-4 6-1 win over Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu.

The world number one missed the start of the clay-court season through illness, but is finding form before her title defence at Roland Garros.

Williams is one Grand Slam victory away from equalling Steffi Graf’s record of 22 singles titles in the Open era.

And, after beating world number 35 Begu in one hour and 26 minutes, she is one victory in Rome away from her 70th career title.

Keys, 21, stands in her way after a shock 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 victory over third seed Garbine Muguruza.

The unseeded American, ranked 24th in the world, had already produced the best European clay-court performance of her career to reach the last four.

BBC

Murray To Play Djokovic In Italian Open Final

Djokovic, Murray, Nadal Through, Federer Out Of Italian Open

Andy Murray defeated Jeremy Chardy to reach the quarter-finals of the Italian Open in Rome.

The world number three raced through the first set – but had to come from a break down in the second before sealing a 6-0 6-4 victory over a Frenchman.

Britain’s Murray, 28, will meet David Goffin, who thrashed Tomas Berdych 6-0 6-0, for a place in the last four.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal both won, but Roger Federer was beaten by world number 15 Dominic Thiem.

Murray, the number two seed, has had his path to the final cleared after Stan Wawrinka – the number four seed and in the same half of the draw as the Scot – was beaten in three sets by Juan Monaco.

The victory over the world number 32 Chardy continues his build-up to the French Open, which begins on 22 May, and follows a run to the semi-finals in Madrid last week.

Asked about Goffin’s one-sided win over Berdych, Murray told BBC Sport: “The scoreline was the big surprise.

“Goffin’s a top quality player so it was a match that could go either way, but a very surprising scoreline – you don’t see results like that much nowadays, at this top level anyway.”

Murray is now guaranteed to return to number two in the rankings next week, following Federer’s defeat.

“It’s not incredibly important but it’s positive,” he said. “Being seeded two is a little bit better than being seeded three or four in the major events, it can help the draw a little bit for sure. It’s a positive thing.”

On court for an hour and 17 minutes, Murray won 87% of points when he landed his first serve and only gave Chardy a sniff when mistakes in the second set followed a virtually error-free first.

But from 3-4 down, three consecutive games, including two breaks, confirmed a passage to the semi-finals.

Federer, who has struggled with a back injury, lost 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 to Austrian Thiem, who moves on to face Kei Nishikori.

The 34-year-old Swiss, a 17-time Grand Slam winner, made 34 unforced errors and said he fears for his chances at Roland Garros.

“I see my chances as not great to have the most unbelievable run,” said Federer.

“But if maybe in three, four days I can practise 100% for next week, then I believe that something is possible again.”

Djokovic bounces back from bagel

World number one Djokovic, who will reach $100m (£69m) in career prize money if he defends his title at the Foro Italico, battled past world number 37 Tomaz Belluci in three sets in strange circumstances.

The Serb was ‘bagelled’ for only the ninth time in his career, winning only eight points in the first set.

He then offered animated celebrations when he scraped a hold of serve in the first game of the second.

From there, though, he moved to a 0-6 6-3 6-2 victory and a quarter-final meeting with Nadal, who defeated Australian Nick Kyrgios in three sets.

BBC

Djokovic, Murray, Nadal Through, Federer Out Of Italian Open

Andy Murray Ends Coaching Relationship With Amelie Mauresmo

British world number three Andy Murray has split from coach Amelie Mauresmo after two years.

Murray, 28, said he had “learnt a lot” from Mauresmo but they had “mutually agreed” to end their partnership.

“Dedicating enough time along with the travel has been a challenge,” twice Grand Slam champion Mauresmo added.

Since he began working with her in June 2014, Murray has won seven titles – including his first two on clay – but has failed to add to his two majors.

In a joint statement, Murray added: “She’s been a calming influence in the team and we will all miss having her around.

“I’ll take some time to consider the next steps and how we progress from here, but I’d like to thank her for everything she has done. She’s been an invaluable member of the team.”

Frenchwoman Mauresmo, 36, added: “Working with Andy over the last two years has been a fantastic experience for me.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being part of the great team of people he has around him. I wish him and the team well and I hope he goes on to win many more titles.”

Murray – who lost his number two ranking to Roger Federer after his defeat by Novak Djokovic in the Madrid Open final on Sunday – was previously coached by former world number one Ivan Lendl, under whom he won the 2012 US Open and 2013 Wimbledon.

The Scot was the first leading male player to employ a female coach, saying at the time of the appointment: “I’ve always had a strong female influence in my career and that’s something I needed right now.”

Analysis

BBC Radio 5 live tennis correspondent Russell Fuller:

“Murray has always maintained he needs to spend 25 weeks a year with his head coach, and – even if a final decision was only taken last week – it has become apparent over the last few months that as a new mum, Mauresmo would be unable to find that time. She trained with Murray in Dubai in December, but since January’s Australian Open, has only been on coaching duty in Miami.

“Murray has been unable to add to his Grand Slam tally in their two years together, but has become phenomenally consistent and something of a clay-court natural. He will miss the calmness she brought to the team, and may struggle to find someone of similar experience whom he feels as comfortable confiding in.

“Murray will, for now, work exclusively with Jamie Delgado, as he begins to sound out potential successors to Mauresmo. You would expect him to seek someone with a glittering playing or coaching CV, but that is a limited pool and he is not an easy man to second guess. Murray is always happy to buck the trend, but won’t do so just for the sake of it.”

BBC

Andy Murray Ends Coaching Relationship With Amelie Mauresmo

Djokovic Beats Murray In Madrid Open Final

World number one Novak Djokovic beat defending champion Andy Murray 6-2 3-6 6-3 in the Madrid Open final.

The defeat means the 28-year-old Briton will lose his world number two ranking to Roger Federer on Monday.

The Scot was blown away in the opening set, but fought back to level, only to fall to the Serb’s power and accuracy in the decider.

Djokovic now moves ahead of Spain’s Rafael Nadal with a record 29 ATP Masters 1000 titles.

The Serb underlined his current dominance as he claimed his fifth title in the past six Masters tournaments but he was pushed hard by Murray, exemplified by a 14-minute final game as Djokovic survived six deuces and seven break points to hold for the match.

“The first couple of break points I remember making two mistakes,” said Murray.

“It was kind of back and forth from there and unfortunately I couldn’t quite break, which was a shame because both of us on the break points until that last game were pretty clinical.”

Djokovic broke Murray’s serve in the opening game and the 2011 winner gave a masterclass combining powerful ground shots with brutal accuracy as he found the lines with uncanny regularity.

Murray found his second serve coming under huge pressure and Djokovic duly earned a double break before racing to the first set in just 31 minutes.

In the second, however, the Scot’s serve began to click into gear and, having won just 17% of points on his second serve in the first set, he increased it to an impressive 60% in the second.

Djokovic made crucial forehand and backhand errors in the third game before serving a double-fault to be broken for only the second time in the tournament.

The Madrid crowd who were muted as Murray beat local favourite Rafael Nadal 7-5 6-4 in Saturday’s semi-finals were now encouraging the Briton, who responded with some of his best tennis of the week as he won the set with a cheeky drop shot from the back of the court.

It was Djokovic’s turn to regroup and after a comfortable hold needed just one of two break points to take the early initiative in the decider.

But this was a different Murray from the opening set and the Scot immediately broke back with Djokovic again serving a double fault at the crucial moment.

Again, however, the world number one raised the bar and this time it proved crucial with a decisive break in the sixth game.

“When you play against the best players, you are probably not going to win every single time,” said Murray. “But you want to make the matches extremely difficult for them: physically and mentally, so it’s not comfortable. So I think at least today I did that, but unfortunately didn’t get the win.

“It’s been a positive week for me this week overall – a few years ago I wouldn’t have thought I’d be winning against Rafa and then pushing Novak this close on a clay court.”

“Murray began the match a shadow of the man who had played so well in Madrid all week. The first set wasn’t a contest, but once given an opening by the world number one early in the second, Murray started playing with real conviction, and pushed his man to the limit.

“At 2-2 in the decider the match was genuinely in the balance. Djokovic’s response, though, was characteristically brilliant, and after surviving a bout of jitters and a 14-minute final game, he deservedly clinched his record 29th Masters series title.”

BBC

Djokovic Beats Murray In Madrid Open Final

Murray To Face Djokovic In Madrid Open Final

Defending champion Andy Murray will face world number one Novak Djokovic in the Madrid Open final on Sunday.

British number one Murray beat nine-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal 7-5, 6-4 in the first semi-final.

Djokovic then racked up a seventh victory in a row over Japan’s Kei Nishikori, going through 6-3, 7-6, (7-4).

Murray is looking to hold on to his world number two ranking, which he will lose to Roger Federer unless he retains his title in Madrid.

Murray, who sent down eight aces and saved 11 of 13 break points, said he was “going back in the right direction again” after losing early in Indian Wells and Miami in March.

“I think it’s big – it’s not easy. Not loads of players have won against Rafa on clay throughout his career,” he said.

“To beat him in Spain on a clay court is obviously a big challenge. It’s a big step for me from where I was four or five weeks ago.”

Murray established an early lead in the opening set of the semi-final, earning three break points in Nadal’s second service game and holding his composure to break the Spaniard.

The momentum appeared to swing Nadal’s way when he responded by taking Murray’s serve, but it was the Scot who took the first set with a winning forehand that broke the home favourite for a second time.

World number five Nadal, 29, was looking for a third successive tournament victory following wins in Monte Carlo and Barcelona last month.

But Murray followed his only double fault with an ace at 2-2 to hold in the second set before immediately breaking Nadal.

Nadal repelled a first match point with a break of his own, but Murray did not waste a second opportunity to repeat his victory over the same opponent 12 months ago.

The Spaniard believed he “was a little bit unlucky” in the second set but acknowledged that Murray “adapted better than me” to the cool, cloudy conditions, which meant the ball did not bounce as high as he would have liked.

“I think in the first set he played better than me. I think in the second it was a different story,” said Nadal.

“I played more aggressive, I increased the intensity and rhythm of the game and had more opportunities than him in the second.”

Dominant Djokovic powers to another win

Djokovic moved closer to his second Madrid crown and his 14th successive victory over other top 10 players.

The Serb took the only break point on offer in a tight opening set and looked to have ended Nishikori’s resistance when he won against the serve again in the fifth game of the second.

Djokovic was on course for a comfortable win, but he momentarily lost his concentration while serving for the match at 5-4 and paid the penalty.

He mistimed a simple overhead while up three match points and then served a double fault on the way to losing his first service game of the tournament.

Nishikori had shown his battling qualities but ran out of steam in the tie-break and Djokovic needed just one of his two match points to seal victory.

On the prospect of only his fourth meeting with Murray on clay, Djokovic told Sky Sports: “Andy has improved tremendously on clay and has proved he is definitely one of the best in the world on this surface.

“The rivalry continues and we’ve had so many good finals. I look forward to another one.”

BBC

Murray To Face Djokovic In Madrid Open Final

Murray To Play Nadal In Madrid Semi-Finals

Defending champion Andy Murray beat Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-2 to progress to the semi-finals of the Madrid Open.

The Scot produced arguably his best performance of the season to record a first win over the Czech on clay.

Murray, who beat 16th seed Gilles Simon to reach the quarter-finals, won 92% of his first-serve points and denied eighth-seed Berdych any break points.

The world number two, 28, will face nine-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal in the last four.

Home favourite Nadal, who is looking for a third successive tournament victory following his wins in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, beat Portuguese world number 35 Joao Sousa 6-0, 4-6, 6-3.

The former Wimbledon and US Open champion says he is ready for the semi-final against Nadal, after training with the 14-time Grand Slam winner ahead of the tournament.

“You prepare to play against the best clay court player of all time and get yourself ready for that challenge mentally,” he told BBC Sport.

“I practised with him in Mallorca for a few days, which was good.

“It’s great practice, but you can see some things, as well.”

Murray believes his game is in good shape ahead of the French Open, which begins on 22 May, after a remodelling of his second serve over the winter.

BBC

Murray To Play Nadal In Madrid Semi-Finals