Help
3/19/09 5:37 PM | Ricky Dimon
Andy Murray has taken care of business through his first three matches at the Masters Series Indian Wells. He has three more to go in search of what would be his third title in just three months of the 2009 season.
Three down...
Second Round: Murray d. Albert Montanes 7-5, 6-3
Third Round: Murray d. Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-3, 6-2
Fourth Round: Murray d. Tommy Robredo 6-2, 3-0, retired
...Three to go
Quarterfinals: vs. Ivan Ljubicic (Murray 2-2 with Ljubicic head-to-head)
Semifinals: vs. Roger Federer (5-2) or Fernando Verdasco (5-1)
Final: vs. Rafael Nadal (5-2), Juan Martin Del Potro (2-0), Novak Djokovic (2-4), or Andy Roddick (6-2)
What has to happen for Murray to win
Murray cannot afford to play like he did in the first round against Montanes if he wants to survive a final weekend that consists of a host of Top-10 players. His form against Mathieu and Robredo, however, could be enough to get the job done; especially against Ljubicic in the semifinals. Ljubicic has stormed out of a recent slump with an awesome showing in Indian Wells, but he does not match up well with Murray. Assuming the Scot can reach the semifinals, he has a combined 10-3 record against Federer and Verdasco. Furthermore, slow hard courts should be an ideal surface against both of those players. The courts are probably a little bit too slow for Murray's liking if he ends up facing Nadal in the final, but he will always have a good chance against the world No. 1 on any kind of hard court. Murray just needs to keep doing what he has been doing over his past two matches. He is right up there with Nadal and Federer as the favorites to win the Indian Wells title.
Quotable
"I saw that I wasn't going to play my best tennis and it would be dumb to think like that. I thought I moved great. Best I had moved in quite a while. I wasn't hitting the ball particularly well, but I moved well. After I went down a break in the first set I did well to come back." -- after his second-round win over Montanes, his first match since being sidelined with a virus.
"I hit the ball a lot better than my first match. I served big when I needed to and moved very well again, you know. Bar a couple games where I lost my concentration a little bit, it was a very solid match." -- after his third-round win over Mathieu.
"I think if I keep hitting the ball like I have been and maybe changing the pace of the ball, I'm definitely going to be tough to beat. Whether I can win the tournament or not, we'll just have to wait and see." -- when asked if he likes the court surface.
Tell a friend »
Scan QR code to access Unibet mobile.
Bet on Sports wherever you are and whenever you like, with Unibet's quick and simple mobile client you can place bets, check results and see live odds.
For more info about QR codes & scanners click here.
Contact us
/ About us
/ Cookies
/ Recommended links
/ Advertise
/ Sitemap
Tennistalk v1.5.0
Disclaimer © 2001-2012, Moneytainment Media Ltd - All rights reserved
