Murray Marching On – Murray vs Gasquet
Posted on June 02 2016
Watching the Murray Gasquet tie-break was by far the best tennis I have seen all week at Roland Garros. Murray took 5-2 leads in both opening sets and let the leads slip. Gasquet took advantage of this in the first set cruising to a 7-5 opening set.
When Murray let his lead slip a second time, people started to believe this could be it. Could his early round 5 setters be taking their tole? Is Murray struggling with the exit of Mauresmo? Is he still struggling with the added pressures of fatherhood?
It didn’t take long for Murray to prove his resolve. The grit and determination was plastered across his face as he shouted to fight. You could see the inner battle taking place as the Scott fought for his life to win that second set.
Gasquet who had played some unbelievable points deserved to be two sets up and against anyone other than Murray and Djokovic, he probably would have been. But the loss of the second set proved too much and the fans favourite soon found himself losing the third set 6-0, swiftly followed by a 6-2 final set for Murray.
After Murray’s first two matches at Roland Garros, that saw him pushed to two 5 setters, I believed he would find it very difficult in the latter stages of the tournament. But it wasn’t his fitness that looked out of place in yesterday’s match. He looked tense in certain situations and missed some easy opportunities.
He fought hard to get himself to a 5-2 lead in the second set only to let it slip once again, playing a poor service game. Murray will face last year’s French Open champion, Stanislas Wawrinka next and if he can overcome him it will most likely be another Djokovic – Murray match up in the final.
I believe Murray will be hoping for this colder, damp rain to continue, and if it does, I predict he’ll be in the final. However, in terms of halting another Djokovic slam title, I think Wawrinka has the best chance.