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1/28/10 4:23 PM | Cheryl Murray
Andy Murray has earned a spot in his second ever Grand Slam final with a win over Croatia’s Marin Cilic.
World No. 4 Andy Murray exacted the perfect revenge against Marin Cilic in Melbourne on Thursday. It was at the Croat’s hands that Murray found himself unceremoniously ousted from the 2009 US Open in the fourth round. There was no such upset Thursday evening, though Murray surely gave supporters a scare in the early-goings of the match.
The first set did not feature the kind of play from Murray that saw him defeat Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals. The Scot’s timing was off and Cilic was blasting his ground strokes from the baseline. Cilic broke Murray at 2-2 to take the early lead. The world No. 4 had chances to earn the break back, but Cilic staved off all three break points to consolidate his lead.
Murray was broken yet again at 5-3; just that quickly, the Scot lost his first set of the tournament. Cilic appeared to carry that wave into the second set.
After holding with ease, the Croat got to 0-30 on Murray’s first service game. He managed to hold, but Cilic still looked the better player.
The tide of the match changed at 2-2 in the second set. After a lengthy rally, Cilic threw in an artfully placed lob that Murray had to scramble to reach. On the dead run, Murray hit a forehand winner that drew gasps from the crowd. That one point lit a fire under the Scot from that point on.
Errors crept into the Cilic game for the remainder of the match. Murray showed why he is the best returner in the men’s game; he played clean tennis and capitalized on his chances when they arose. A single break of serve in the second set leveled the match at one set a piece, but the Croat was playing as though he were already defeated.
Cilic still put in the effort in the third set, but even though a single service break separated the two men, the victor was never in doubt. And by the fourth, the Croat showed real signs of fatigue. Murray closed out the match with 6-2 in the fourth.
The Scot will have two days’ rest before he faces the winner of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Roger Federer in Sunday’s final.
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I really hope he keeps his relax approach and put the first serve in. All the rest of his game will fall in places themselves.
hvo99 , 1/29/10 3:39 AM
VAMOS MURRAY!!!!
vrael , 1/29/10 7:03 AM
alex: my internet buddy through thick and thin, we dare to dream don't we? I really think, yes I really do, that Andy has a good chance on Sunday. : forehand much better, he's volleying, yes volleying and doing it very well, he looks fitter than ever, he wants it so bad, but most important it looks to me as if, at long last, his head is in the right place! Gone is that drawing blood that he used to do, gone is all that angst and in its place is an amazing calm and containment on court . He's always had an astonishing load of talent and I've often felt he hasn't quite known what to do with it all! This year he's gonna do it, I know!
vrael, hv99: Come on!
darling fft and remi: where are you?
deuce , 1/29/10 7:21 AM
Watching Fed demolishing Tsonga makes me more nervous. But as I said before, this year I really have a quiet confidence in Andy. I can't wait for the final and hope we can see the best tennis of both. So Andy fans, please sleep well and be confident.
hvo99 , 1/29/10 11:42 AM
Hey deuce and all - can you believe it - muzz in a slam final in such a routine manner??? No sleepy patches, passive spells or walkabout - consistent, focused top lass tennis all the way! Everything's come good at the right time for him. But ...
Just watched glimpses of super-relaxed, free-flowing, form-peaking, slam-collecting, Mighty Federer:(
All I'm asking of muzz is that he carries on the same form and makes it a long match with a nice scattering of murraculous shots.
Were he to win Britain's 1st slam in 150K years, that would be a wonderful bonus:)
alex , 1/29/10 11:54 AM
alex: agree re Fed's form, but..it's NOT the Fed of 2008 and it's certainly NOT the Andy of 2008 either. Like you I hope Andy puts up the fight of his life. At least he will go to the match with a plan b and c, which Tsonga clearly didn't, what a washout!
deuce , 1/29/10 1:12 PM
yep, and the good thing about muzz is that, unlike some 'next rung' players (soderling, verdasco, davydenko etc.), he has never been overawed by federer. Just hope muzz can come out set 1 game 1 relaxed, confident and focussed. It's and 'up top' battle now.
alex , 1/29/10 1:40 PM
http://www.tmz.com/2010/01/29/tennis-star-andy-murray-movie-monster/
RickyDimon , 1/30/10 6:03 AM
Whatever happens tomorrow, I'm happy for him, esp when his decision to go to Perth has paid back nicely. A battle of 5 sets with high quality tennis is my wish.
Go Andy. Despite of all suggestion of Fed's win by public, punters...I'm still quietly confident this year will be different.
hvo99 , 1/30/10 1:36 PM
Don't worry alex, I'm sure Murray knows what to do on Sunday. I think he really wants it badly, and I think this time round the Fed express may have problem stopping the Murray express.
luckystar , 1/30/10 3:12 PM
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Marin Cilic 
Several brilliant shots by muzz today, with 2 shots of the tournament in 1 match. Australian commentator described muzz today as a "one-man highlights reel"!
As long as muzz doesn't inexplicably fall apart in the final, he's done himself proud this Open, finally disproving all the the nonsense about him being a 'one week wonder' who will never win a slam.
Muzz may not have won the hoped-for slam last year, but every year, including 2009, he has done better than the year before, at slams and every level of competition. Even if he doesn't win on Friday (fed still has to be the favourite) that trend will continue again this year, until he eventually wins that first, and hopefully not last, slam.
Go muzzzzzzzz!
alex , 1/29/10 2:21 AM