Magnificent Murray battles through in five sets
Monday, 30 Jun 2008 21:56
Murray fights back to reach Wimbledon quarters
Andy Murray produced a remarkable comeback from two sets down to beat number eight seed Richard Gasquet – as well as the failing light – and book a place in the Wimbledon quarter-finals.
The Scot, who is himself seeded 12th for this year's competition, went into the match boosted by his performances during the first week, during which he dropped just a single set.
However, Murray's poor record against the Frenchman looked like it was set to continue as Gasquet gained the upper hand, taking a tight first set 7-5.
The 22-year-old then built upon his lead, even managing to throw away two set points with lazy shots, before taking the second set 6-3.
At 2-2 in the third, and with Murray having already been warned by the umpire for losing his cool, it looked odds-on that it would be Gasquet facing Spain's Rafael Nadal in the final eight.
However, once the Frenchman seemingly lost his nerve while serving for the match, allowing Murray to take the fourth set 7-6, the crowd and the player himself began to sense that one of the most dramatic comebacks seen at Wimbledon in recent years could be in the offering.
Sure enough, the Scot then raced to a 6-2 win in the fourth in just 20 minutes, before breaking straight away in the fifth and final set.
With Gasquet on the ropes and even questioning the umpire's decision to allow play to continue so late in the evening, Murray finally completed his comeback with his second match point, the first time in his career he has overturned a two set deficit.