Captivating Murray beats Capdeville
Andy Murray: a 2nd set lapse of concentration?
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Friday, 04, Sep 2009 11:15
By James Christie
Andy Murray negotiated feelings of nausea and the stubborn resistance of a former training partner to take his place in the third round of the US Open - but not without losing a set for the first time in the championships.
Murray used to train with Chilean Paul Capdeville when based in Barcelona though showed no sign of being overly-friendly to his old sparring mate by ruthlessly taking the first set 6-2.
But Capdeville, perhaps using some inside knowledge gleaned from their adolescent knock-ups, stunned the Scot by taking the second set 6-3.
This provoked world number two Murray to reveal his superior technique and variety of shots to firmly put the world number 87 in his place and run out a 6-2 3-6 6-0 6-2 winner.
It seems that the Dunblene-born players' hard off-season work in Miami paid off as he overcame feelings of nausea to turn the match back in his favour.
He said: "I wasn't exhausted, maybe I didn't eat enough or I ate too soon to the match, because I felt like I was going to be sick."
The action showcased some of the faults which have occasionally blighted the Murray game (for instance a terrible service game in the second set) and a lot of the strengths (including a beefed-up first serve) which have become a hallmark of his rise up the rankings.
His habit of moving through the gears to close out matches which seem evenly balanced is becoming a familiar sight on the circuit and the fact that he hit 44 winners will not have gone unnoticed by his rivals in the locker room.
Spain's Ivan Navarro or big-serving American Taylor Dent now stand in the way of the British Davis Cup star and a place in the last 16.