Magic Murray outclasses Gulbis
Andy Murray put in a near faultless display against Ernests Gulbis
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Thursday, 25, Jun 2009 10:15
By James Christie.
Britain's Andy Murray cruised into the third round at Wimbledon after a dominant display to beat unseeded Ernests Gulbis in straight sets on Centre Court.
Murray was rarely troubled as he put in a near-faultless display against the big-hitting Latvian, registering only five unforced errors to go through courtesy of a 6-2 7-5 6-3 victory in less one-and-a-half hours.
After his patchy performance in the first round, Murray stepped up a gear to win his so-called 'grudge' match against Gulbis.
Some newspapers had claimed the underdog questioned the number three seed's decision to withdraw from a tournament last year, but after downplaying suggestions of a rift before the encounter, Murray let his racket do the talking.
Early on things had not looked so rosy, as Murray found himself 15-40 down in his first service game - but his strong serve saw him avert the danger with some ease.
The Gulbis serve, initially at least, seemed equally impressive - flat and heavy, with a tendency to skid out of camera range into the corners of the court.
But the Latvian's strength and power were not so useful in the cat-and-mouse baseline rallies in open play, when Murray's deft touches and economy of movement invariably gave him the upper hand.
Gulbis fell over as early as the fifth game, and when he did get to his feet he was broken two points later after sending a forehand inches long.
A fine highlights package could be put together featuring Murray's best shots from the first set, which he won 6-2.
It is unlikely that a running forehand and wickedly spinning backhand drop shot from the baseline will be left on the cutting room floor by the Today at Wimbledon team.
A lapse of judgement saw Murray stop a rally to incorrectly query a line call but there was no stopping the string of quality winners being produced by the Centre Court favourite.
The world number three was well aware that the longer the rally, the shorter the odds on Gulbis winning it.
And this was this case in the eleventh game of the second set when a protracted exchange ended with the Baltic player angrily netting to give away his serve.
His brief loss of temper was followed by the loss of the set, 7-5, to give Murray a two-set cushion.
The Brit never rested on his laurels and maintained an impressive level of concentration, digging out a low bouncing mid-court backhand to pass his stranded opponent and secure another break for 2-1.
He never looked back - a successful baseline drop shot from a full-pace Gulbis forehand in the next game emphasising how early he was seeing the ball.
Murray even had time and form to turn his back on his opponent and still win the point during a classy rally in his last service game.
No disrespect was intended by the move and the warm handshake at the net between the two players after the match reached its conclusion showed the apparent falsity of media claims that there was any bad blood.
Murray moves into the third round with the win, with many likely to point to his calm but dominant demeanor on court as a sign that the Britain can go far at the All England Club in 2009.