Andy Murray in action at the Madrid Open (source:zimbio.com)
Andy Murray started the defense of his Madrid Open title with a hard fought 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-1, win over Czech veteran Radek Stepanek.
Murray, who lost to Stepanek at their last encounter in the 2014 Aegon Championships, experienced trouble with his opponent’s game plan, which consisted of some outstanding play at the net.
The start of the match saw the underdog get off to a sensational start. Stepanek claimed seven out of the first ten points of the match to take an unexpected 2-0 lead. The early tennis displayed by the Czech was reminiscent of that which took him to 8th in the world back in 2006.
Murray finally restored order in the set after a spectacular backhand cross court return allowed the world No.2 to break back and level 3-3. The Brit then nudged ahead for the first time in the match after a forehand for Stepanek went straight into the net, handing Murray the lead for 4-3. The closeness between the two remained throughout the set as a tiebreaker loomed.
The start of the tiebreak consisted of an exchange of breaks. Murray was the first to attack with a spectacular passing shot before Stepanek replied with a drop shot at the net. The entire first set had little to distinguish between the two players, however, the very end was the telling factor. Murray cashed in on his experience of being world No.2 by breaking for a second time, followed by a masterful overhead lob to reward himself with a triple set point. The Brit converted on his first attempt after a forehand cross court error from Stepanek. The set was a tale of so near but so far for Stepanek and just relief for the Murray camp.
The first set triumph by Murray did little to dampen the spirits of the 37-year-old Czech. Using the Spanish crowd to his advantage, Stepanek hit a stunning return winner to break Murray at the start of the second set. The two-time grand slam champion had a double chance to break back in the seventh game of the set, but was denied by some heavy serving from Stepanek, who took the game with a deep forehand shot to move ahead 5-2. The world No.148 sealed the set with a smash at the net.
Facing the prospect of going out in his first match at the Madrid Open, Murray took advantage of a tiering Stepanek after a loose backhand error handed Murray the break for 2-0. Unlike the opening two sets, Murray took full control of the match by racing to 5-0. Serving for the match, the defending champion fended off two break points before sealing the victory on his first match point.
The significance of Murray’s trouble against Stepanek is told by the match statistics. The Brit produced 26 winners compared to his opponents impressive tally of 45. On the other hand, Murray produced 19 fewer errors than his opponent (14-33).
“I played some good stuff against a guy making it very difficult,” Murray said shortly after his second round win.
“He’s not like any of the guys that you practice with or play against much now. He has a very different game style and had come in having played three matches in these conditions and some pretty good wins.”
Playing in his first match in Madrid, Murray openly admitted that he struggled with the night time conditions. Prior to this week, the Brit spent some time training in Mallorca to adjust himself to the Madrid altitude.
” It’s little bit different when you play in the evening,” Murray admitted.
“It’s always difficult this time of year because the conditions here are different.”
Murray will spend Wednesday ‘working on some things‘ ahead of his Thursday clash against either Gilles Simon or Pablo Carreno Busta.