Andy Murray has continued his quest for a second consecutive Madrid Open title by defeating an error-stricken Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-2, in the quarterfinals.
Murray has a 100% winning record over Berdych (3/3) ever since his former coach, Dani Vallverdu, left to work with the Czech. Prior to this, Murray was trailing to the head-to-head against the 30-year-old.
The early start to the day did little to dampen the focus of the world No.2, who went out guns blazing against an error-stricken Berdych. Back-to-back forehand errors from the Czech handed Murray the early break as he cruised to a 3-0 lead. Berdych did occasionally produce world class winners, however, his questionable decisions regarding the ball positioning as well as the mounting error count proved too costly. Another forehand error from the Czech rewarded the defending champion his first set point. Murray failed to capitalize after Berdych held his serve during a marathon ten-minute game. The fighting spirit of the Czech was still not enough to tame Murray, who eased to the first set by hitting a hard forehand shot to force his opponent to return it out.
The force from the world No.2 continued into the second set as he broke once again. A poor shot from Berdych followed by another error rewarded Murray a break for 3-2. As Murray grew in confidence, it was clear that his Czech rival was getting more frustrated with his substandard form. The double break was sealed by the Brit after a stunning drop shot, giving him a chance to serve out the match. Murray strolled to the win as he took the victory with his first match point.
“It was a good match with no break points for me,” Murray said about his win.
“The conditions were different because I was playing under the roof and I adjusted to them well. That was the most pleasing thing for me because I have only played three or four matches on clay indoors in my life.”
Murray has now won four consecutive matches against Berdych since 2015. Explaining his recent record against the Czech, the two-time grand slam champion attributed his win to the continuous development of his game.
“I think I’ve obviously made improvements in my game, the last few times I played good matches against him,” the world No.2 said about his previous matches against Berdych.
“You have to make adjustments every time you play. If you play the same all the time, then they are going to know what to expect.”
In the last four Murray could play Rafael Nadal in what will be a rematch of last year’s final. Nadal is currently on a 12-match winning streak after winning titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona. Murray has acknowledged that Nadal was a different player than 12 months ago, however, so is the Brit.
“I think he is definitely playing better for sure. I also think I’m playing better now than I was this time last year,” Murray said.
“You have to keep improving, there are things in my game that are much better.”
Nadal will play Murray if he defeats Portugal’s Joao Sousa in his quarterfinal match.
The quarterfinal victory has given Murray his first win over Berdych on the clay after losing to him on three previous occasions. This week’s Madrid Open is crucial for the Brits ranking position. If he fails to defend his title, Murray will lose his world No.2 ranking to Roger Federer.
