Andy Murray & Jamie Murray Through to Doubles Semi-Finals - Thailand Open 2006

On the same day that Hanman knocked him out of the singles tournament, Andy Murray teamed up with his older brother, Jamie, to defeat Frank Dancevic & Robby Ginepri in the first round of the doubles.

Murray & Murray lost the first set 3-6, won the next set on a tie-break and then raced through the final set (a ten point tie-breaker) 10-0!

Then yesterday, Murray & Murray defeated the Feliciano Lopez & Marat Safin in just 41 minutes: 6-1 6-2

That win puts them through to the semi final where they will meet either Chris Haggard & Jordan Kerr or Rainer Schuettler & Danal Udomchoke.

There are no seeded partnerships left in this side of the draw, so there is an excellent chance of winning the next match and making their first appearance together in an ATP final.

Source:
AndyMurray.com | Andy and Jamie March On
AndyMurray.com | Murray Murray Win Again

Murray Defeated by Henman - 1st Rnd - Thailand Open 2006

It was bound to happen sooner or later, but it's frustrating that this has happened in the first round of a tournment that Murray was a finalist in last year.

Hopefully this won't have too much of an impact on the ATP rankings.

Henman defeated Murray in straight sets: 6-4 6-2

Murray wasn't looking for excuses for the result, but it's not unreasonable that the Davis Cup may have taken it's toll. That and, of course, losing to lower ranked players is going to happen occasionally.

Disappointing then, but not a disaster. Murray will stay in Thailand a little longer to compete in the doubles with his brother, Jamie.

Source:
BBC SPORT | Tennis | Henman breaks duck against Murray

Andy Murray Vs Tim Henman - 1st Round - Thailand Open 2006

Andy Murray is seeded 4th in the tournament he finished runner-up in last year. That final appearance will mean Murray has plenty of ranking points to defend so will need to put in a good performance to continue his push toward the top ten.

Murray has been paired against Henman (again!) in the first round to be played on Tuesday.

Taking a look at the draw, Murray could again be matched against a GB player if Bogdanovic gets through his first round match against Yeu-Tzuoo Wang.

Looking further ahead, Paradorn Srichaphan (the home favourite) could be the opponent in the Qtr-Finals. Murray beat Srichaphan in the semi-final of this tournament last year.

The top three seeds in ascending order are Ivan Ljubicic (could meet Murray in the semi-finals), Marcos Baghdatis and James Blake. Baghdatis and Blake are in the opposite side of the draw.

Source:
BBC SPORT | Tennis | Henman fired up for Murray battle
THAILAND OPEN : The Official Site of Thailand Open

Murray Victorious in Ukraine After Doubles Defeat - Davis Cup - Ukraine Vs GB 2006

Andy Murray & Jamie Delgado lost in straight sets to Orest Tereshchuk & Sergiy Stakhovsky: 6-3 6-3 6-3.

But Murray sealed the win for GB by beating Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-3 6-2 7-5 on Sunday morning.

Murray confessed to not being at his best and picked up a slight injury in the third set. Nonetheless, what impressed observers was the professionalism Murray displayed in winning his two singles matches.

Playing away from home in a high pressure tie meant that the potential for upset was high. Yet Murray never looked in danger. Critics who question Murray's desire to play as a GB player should watch his performances in the Davis Cup and his elation at gaining the victory.

I generally try to avoid discussing other tennis players in any details in this blog, but I must tip my hat to Rusedski who showed incredible determination to fight back from 2 sets to 1 down and 3-0 down in the fourth. That result may well have been the difference between victory and defeat for GB.

The date for the next Davis Cup tie will be scheduled depending if GB are seeded for next year, but could be as early as April.

Source:
BBC SPORT | Tennis | Murray win seals British survival
BBC SPORT | Tennis | Murray & Delgado crash in doubles

Andy Murray Defeats Alexandr Dolgopolov In Straight Sets - Davis Cup - Ukraine Vs GB 2006

Murray and Dolgopolov had to wait over four hours for Rusedski to record a five set win over Stakhovsky (1-6 6-3 5-7 6-4 9-7), but their match was over far sooner as Murray romped to a 6-3 6-4 6-2 victory.

It only took a couple of games for Dolgopolov to demonstrate that, even at the age of 17, he had some serious game, but once Murray had the measure of the player the result never seemed in doubt - bar a minor scare at the beginning of the second set.

What was most entertaining about the match was listening to the BBC commentators positively gushing over Andy Murray's tennis prowess.

It seems that any questions over whether or not Murray is the real deal have finally been laid to rest as the commentators seemed to fall over themselves to find higher superlatives. "World Class" came out at one point and in another moment it was claimed that when it comes to Murray's performances "there's nothing he can't do".

The only sour note was when one of the commentators mentioned that Murray needs to be careful not to make enemies on his way up, again referring to the England / World Cup saga.

If anyone had bothered to ask Murray for his side of the story, they'd realise that Murray's comment was taken hopelessly out of context.

Most media tell the story like this:

English Journalist: "Who will you be supporting in the World Cup, Andy?"

Andy Murray: "Whoever England are playing."

WRONG

It actually went more something like this.

English Journalist: "Will you be supporting Scotland in the World Cup, Andy... snigger" (Scotland didn't qualify)

Andy Murray: "No, I'll be supporting whoever England are playing."

Where I come from, when someone has a dig about your football team, it's generally accepted that you're going to respond with a dig in return.

It's called banter. If course it's more interesting for the media to fudge the story and then call it anti-english.

Anyway...

GB are 2-0 against Ukraine and need just one more win to secure the tie. Murray will almost certainly play in the doubles tomorrow, with Rusedski or Delgado as partner.

Source:
BBC SPORT | Tennis | Gamewatch: Murray v Dolgopolov
BBC SPORT | Tennis | Rusedski and Murray give GB lead

Davis Cup: Ukraine Vs GB - Europe/Africa Zone - 2nd Rnd Playoffs 2006

Depressingly, this match is only to decide who gets relegated. Not prestigous, but most definitely important if the GB team is going to have some decent competition in future matches.

Play begins at the following UK times:

Friday (22/9/06): 7:30am
Saturday *23/9/06): 8:30am
Sunday (23/9/06): 7:30am

The GB team is:

Andy Murray (16)
Greg Rusedski (136)
Jamie Baker (300)
Jamie Delgado (494)

The Ukraine team is:

Sergiy Stakhovsky (188)
Orest Tereshchuk (354)
Oleksandr Dolgopolov (352)
Sergei Bubka (461)

Ukraine have home advantage and have elected to play on a clay surface. Nevertheless, GB should be confident of two points from Andy Murray.

That means that if Rusedski can stay fit, he only needs to win one match to make certain of the victory.

The matches are being shown on BBC Interactive, so just remember to push the red button.

Source:
Davis Cup - Official Website

Andy Murray - Latest Statistics

I've been on holiday for a week so apologies for not posting anything since the US Open.

The good news is that Andy Murray has risen three points in the ATP rankings, putting him at a career high of 16. Just 8 more places to go to ensure his entry in the Shanghai Masters :-)

The official ATP website also has a nice stats page which is worth checking out.

My favourite stat?


Return Games Won %: 33


In other words, in any given set, Murray is going to break you. Twice.

Once that first serve percentage gets to the 60-70 percent level, there will be few players who will be able to compete with that combination.

Andy Murray Statistics - 2006

Andy Murray Bows Out of US Open

Posting details of Andy Murray losing at a Grand Slam is like removing a troublesome plaster. You can't put it off forever and the best method is to get it over with as quickly as possible.

6-1 5-7 6-3 6-0 to Davydenko who played well overall but I have a feeling that Murray will look back and think that on another day he could have had him in his pocket.

It took a whole set before Murray really got started and of course by then, he was already a set down.

Murray admitted that the he struggled with the 11am start but it's something that should be rectifiable.

The Davis Cup is to follow soon and Murray already has his sights on the Shanghai Masters. He'll need to break into the top 8 in the world to qualify, but if Murray can reproduce the consistency he's shown since Wimbledon, then it's not an unrealistic target.

Source:
BBC SPORT | Tennis | Davydenko swiftly ends Murray bid

Andy Murray Vs Nikolay Davydenko - Schedule of Play - 4th Rnd - US Open

Andy Murray & Nikolay Davydenko are due out first on court.

Weather permitting, this makes a start time of 4pm - UK time.

Sources:
The US Open 2006 - Official Website

Andy Murray Vs Nikolay Davydenko - 4th Rnd - US Open

According to Andy Murray's post match interview, Nikolay Davydenko (6) is a better returner, but weaker on the serve.

Put that together with Murray's own strengths and weaknesses and it sounds to me like a match with a lot of breaks of serve. The last time the two players met was in March, earlier this year. Between them, Murray & Davydenko managed 11 breaks of serve. Davydenko was the winner on that occasion 6-1 3-6 6-3.

This match should be a notch harder than the previous, but if Murray can match his 2nd and 3rd round performances, there's no reason why this match shouldn't run close. The match is scheduled for tomorrow.

4th Round:
Again, sticking with the seeded players, Kristof Vliegen(36) or Nikolay Davydenko (7) are likely opponents. Murray lost in three sets to Davydenko earlier in the year and has never faced Vliegen before.

Davydenko, as predicted.

Qtr-Finals:
This would, of course, be further than Murray has ever gone in a Grand Slam, so the opponent would be pretty much irrelevant at this point. Still...Starts to get tricky here as there are some experienced unseeded players in this section of the draw. The top seed in this section is David Nalbandian (4). Wimbledon - 2005 - Five Sets - Cramp - Sean Connery. What a match this would be.However, Haas (16), Ginepri(21), Safin(104) & Benneteau(51) are all possible opponents at this stage.

Safin won the tie-break 8-6 in the final set, to send Nalbandian crashing out. The highest seed that can meet Murray in this section of the draw is Haas, but Ginepri is also a possibility as the two players meet today.

Semi-Finals:
We're starting to get into the realms of fantasy here but, if it happened, it would be Roger Federer (1) looking for revenge.

Federer has yet to lose a set and is looking very comfortable. He could meet James Blake in the Qtr-Finals which might be interesting, but Federer is unlikely to lose before the final. Unless of course, he meets Murray in the semi's ;-)

Final:
Nadal is the second seed and so is one of the expected finalists, but I'll also be keeping an eye out for a rejuvenated Andy Roddick and the dark horse that is Marcos Baghdatis.

It looks for all the world that Roddick and Nadal will meet in the semi-finals. At this stage, based on form, it would be hard to pick a winner.

Andy Murray Records Stunning Victory Over Fernando Gonzalez - 3rd Rnd - US Open

A year ago, the media were griping over another Murray injury in a 5-set defeat.

Today, the media are, with virtually one voice, praising Murray's patience and determination to come back from 2 sets to 1 down - 6-3 3-6 2-6 6-3 6-2

Take a moment or two to work your way through the GameWatch below and this will give you a real flavour of the match.

Murray has now exceeded his seeding's expectations and matched his best Grand Slam showing at Wimbledon earlier this year. Last week there were 128 competitors in the Mens Singles event. Once all the third round matches are completed, there will just be 16... and Murray is one of them.

Sources:
BBC SPORT | Tennis | Murray battles to beat Gonzalez
BBC SPORT | Tennis | Gamewatch: Murray v Gonzalez

Andy Murray & James Auckland Defeated - 1st Rnd - Mens Doubles - US Open

Andy Murray & James Auckland lost 4-6 6-2 4-6 to Ashley Phillips & Tripp Phillips in the first round of the Mens Doubles.

Source:
Another in the Bag for Agassi as dream lives - Evening Times

Andy Murray Vs Fernando Gonzalez - 3rd Rnd - US Open

Andy Murray will play Fernando Gonzalez (11) sometime on Sunday. It's unclear at this stage whether the terrible weather conditions in New York are at risk of putting the game back to Monday, but we should have a better idea by midday (UK time) tomorrow.

The last time Murray played Gonzalez was in Basel 2005. Murray lost 6-4 3-6 6-1.

Murray will be the underdog for his match, but only marginally. Gonzalez has yet to drop a set in this tournament.

Let's have a look at how the draw is opening up:

3rd Rnd:
Barring a disaster, Murray will be playing the 10th seed, Fernando Gonzalez (11). Their only meeting was in Basel last year. Murray won the second set in a 3-set defeat.

My predictions are going well so far, but no surprises so far.

4th Round:
Again, sticking with the seeded players, Kristof Vliegen(36) or Nikolay Davydenko (7) are likely opponents. Murray lost in three sets to Davydenko earlier in the year and has never faced Vliegen before.

Davydenko won his first set 6-0 and then his opponent retired. He will play Kubot (138) in the third round.

Qtr-Finals:
This would, of course, be further than Murray has ever gone in a Grand Slam, so the opponent would be pretty much irrelevant at this point. Still...Starts to get tricky here as there are some experienced unseeded players in this section of the draw. The top seed in this section is David Nalbandian (4). Wimbledon - 2005 - Five Sets - Cramp - Sean Connery. What a match this would be.However, Haas (16), Ginepri(21), Safin(104) & Benneteau(51) are all possible opponents at this stage.

Nalbandian has yet to play his 2nd rnd match against Safin. Ginepri & Haas are playing each other in the third round. I still fancy Nalbandian to reach the Qtr-Finals though. His seeding is exepecting at least the semi's.

Semi-Finals:
We're starting to get into the realms of fantasy here but, if it happened, it would be Roger Federer (1) looking for revenge.

Status quo.

Final:
Nadal is the second seed and so is one of the expected finalists, but I'll also be keeping an eye out for a rejuvenated Andy Roddick and the dark horse that is Marcos Baghdatis.

Roddick & Nadal are marching on, but Baghdatis lost in an epic 5-set match to the unseeded Agassi.

Agassi is looking to go out with a bang, but surely he can't go all the way...

Andy Murray Crushes Alessio Di Mauro - 2nd Rnd - US Open

When you hear that a mens tennis player has won his match 6-0 6-1 6-1, you'd expect that an injury was at least partly to blame. Sadly for Di Mauro, this wasn't the case.

Di Mauro floundered and, pleasingly for his fans, Murray didn't show any mercy, thrashing his opponent in just one hour and fourteen minutes.

Murray has now gone one round better than last year and, in reaching the third round, has reached the round that his seeding predicted. Well done Andy Murray! His next opponent will be a tricky encounter against Fernando Gonzalez

Source:
BBC SPORT | Tennis | In-form Murray destroys Di Mauro
BBC SPORT | Tennis | Gamewatch: Murray v Di Mauro