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  • Open 13 Semifinal Preview: Murray vs. Mathieu

    2/16/08 9:58 AM | Ricky Dimon
    - Some brilliant shot-making should be on display on Saturday at the Open 13 in Marseille, as Andy Murray will play Paul-Henri Mathieu in the first match of the afternoon.

    (4) Andy Murray vs. (8) Paul-Henri Mathieu
    This is the second head-to-head matchup between the 21st-ranked Mathieu and No. 11 Andy Murray. The Scot won their only meeting last year in the fourth round of the Masters Series Miami 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 in two hours and seven minutes.

    Murray got off to a flying start in 2008 by capturing the season-opening title in Doha, Qatar with a three-set win over Stanislas Wawrinka in the final. His momentum, however, was quickly derailed at the Australian Open, where Murray had to face eventual runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the first round and lost in a fourth-set tiebreaker. From all indications in Marseille, Murray has recovered from that setback in style. That should not come as any surprise considering how well Murray played in 2007. He finished the year ranked ninth in the world despite missing both the French Open and Wimbledon with a wrist injury.

    Mathieu has been his typical inconsistent self so far this season. The Frenchman reached the quarterfinals in Adelaide at the beginning of the year and also made it to the fourth round of the Australian Open, but his 2007 campaign has also featured some serious disappointments. Mathieu’s run in Adelaide concluded with an upset loss to little-known Australian Joseph Sirianni. He then retired to Evgeny Korolev in the first round of Sydney after dropping the opening set 6-1. When Mathieu is playing well, however (as he appears to be in Marseille), he is one of the premier talents on the ATP Tour. For example, he enjoyed a remarkable stretch during the summer and fall of last on the U.S. hard courts, including a semifinal appearance in New Haven and a runner-up finish in Moscow.

    Keep in mind that Mathieu will have the full support of the crowd on Saturday. Not only will the Marseille faithful obviously side with the Frenchman, but the fans also did not take kindly to Murray during his quarterfinal win over another Frenchman, unseeded Gilles Simon.

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