GB duo downed by Knowle and Melzer
Jamie Murray and Ross Hutchins were easily beaten at Wimbledon
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British number one Andy Murray has admitted Jurgen Melzer's pre-match comments on his ability to handle the pressure of Davis Cup have "fired him up". |  |
Saturday, 20, Sep 2008 03:47
Great Britain's doubles pairing of Jamie Murray and Ross Hutchins were comprehensively beaten by their Austrian counterparts Jurgen Melzer and Julien Knowle 6-4 6-3 6-1 in the potentially crucial third rubber of the Davis Cup tie at Wimbledon.
All eyes will now be on Andy Murray, as, with Austria taking a 2-1 lead into the final day, he must beat Melzer in the first of the reverse singles tomorrow to keep the match alive. Should he prevail, Great Britain's hopes of appearing in the elite 16-team World Group next year will rest on the shoulders of Alex Bogdanovic.
Given the fact that Bogdanovic has yet to win a Davis Cup singles tie, the importance of the doubles match was magnified for the British team, and as such it was a surprise that Hutchins, rather than Andy Murray, lined up alongside doubles specialist Jamie.
A couple of niggling injuries had convinced captain John Lloyd, however, that Britain's interests would be best served if his main weapon was rested and so it was Hutchins - who played with Jamie in the Davis Cup doubles tie against Argentina earlier in the year - who was thrust into the firing line.
The British pairing - and Jamie Murray especially - started nervously, with the Scot's serve being broken in the very first game. Great Britain broke back immediately, though, and the early signs were that the partisan crowd on Court One would be treated to a classic.
This hope proved unfounded as, from 3-3 in the first set when the match looked delicately poised, Melzer and Knowle eased away and, once the first set was wrapped up, the result was never really in doubt.
The Austrians were simply superior in every single department once they warmed up, and their service returns in particular were at least a level above that of either Briton. A case in point was the third game of the second set, when Jamie Murray was broken to love after being subjected to a barrage of aggressive returns from Melzer and Knowle despite not once having missed his first serve.
By way of contrast the serving of Melzer and Knowle was imperious, and Hutchins and Murray were barely given a sniff of a break.
Having said that, a brief comeback was threatened when Melzer was broken while serving for the second set at 5-2, but Hutchins failed to keep up the momentum and was broken straight back. The form of Melzer and Knowle ensured the third set proved nothing more than a formality.
The match was closed out in just an hour and 41 minutes, and Lloyd will be hoping that his decision to leave Andy Murray out of the starting line-up will not prove decisive. Even so, the superiority of the Austrian pair suggested that even the appearance of the fourth-best singles player in the world would not have been enough to tip the balance in Great Britain's favour.