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7/2/08 10:16 PM | Cheryl Murray
Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray clashed in the most hotly anticipated quarterfinal in Wimbledon.
Half of London queued up to see the big quarterfinal match starring Andy Murray. Tickets were selling for over a thousand pounds a piece. Murray was Britain's first chance at a Wimbledon title since Tim Henman reached the quarters in 2004. Sadly for the Brits, Murray's opponent was Rafael Nadal at his brutal best.
Perhaps Murray was tired from the five sets he played against Gasquet, or maybe Nadal is just that much better on grass. Either way, this match was completely a one-sided affair. Murray is known as a good returner of serve. He has given Roger Federer fits on several occasions with his uncanny ability to track down Federer's first serve. Rafael Nadal conceded exactly ten points on serve for the match.
Nadal's depth of shot and pinpoint accuracy left Murray befuddled and flat-footed for most of the match. There was a period of time in the second set where Nadal pasted so many lines and hit so many amazing shots that he seemed other-worldly.
Maybe the most interesting thing about this match was the crowd involvement - or lack thereof. Nadal played with such magnificence that the crowd was completely eliminated as a factor. They wanted to cheer Murray on, but Nadal never released his stranglehold on the match long enough for them to hold out hope for a Scottish comeback.
The best look the Scot had on Murray's serve came at 1-2 in the third set. Murray smacked a few lines for winners to get to 15-30, but that was all the progress he would make. Nadal did not face a breakpoint all match; Murray did not even get to deuce on the Spaniard's serve.
Nadal will face the winner of Rainer Schuettler and Arnaud Clement, whose match was suspended until Thursday due to darkness. He is the overwhelming favorite to get to the final.
Brilliance from the racquet of Nadal made this admittedly lop-sided match a pleasure to watch regardless of the score.
Though he obviously wanted to, Murray could not keep up with Nadal.
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Did you know that... Rafael Nadal won 81 consecutive matches on clay during 2005 and 2007.
kaitepai, Oct 6, 2008 8:44 PM
ravikiran, Oct 6, 2008 5:15 PM
EinarBerg, Oct 6, 2008 4:55 PM
janhavi, Oct 6, 2008 10:22 AM
bridgie, Oct 6, 2008 8:52 AM
RickyDimon, Oct 7, 2008 5:15 AM
tinica2007, Oct 4, 2008 11:35 PM
trixxyfest, Oct 4, 2008 6:29 PM
Andy Murray
Rafael Nadal
Wimbledon
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