Top seed Andy Murray has continued his quest for a fifth title at The Queen’s Club with a hard-fought 6-3, 6-4, win over compatriot Aljaz Bedene.
Going into the match, Bedene declared that he wanted to win over British hearts and he certainly lived up his promise in what was the first match between the two players on the tour.
The world No.2 was tested by the world No.58 from the onset. At the start of the match, Murray had to save a break point during a six-minute opening game. Murray had certainly met his match against a player who was producing a shot selection that was worthy of a top-20 player. Despite the promise shown by the underdog, Murray was still the dominant force. A poor game from Bedene, consisting of a poor drop shot and a long forehand, gave Murray the break for 5-3. He seized upon the opportunity of closing the set by firing ace No.5.
It appeared as if Murray was in full control by breaking once more during the early stages of the second set. Comfortably leading, the top seed experienced his first blip of the match with two consecutive backhands into the net, squandering his break advantage. Despite the setback, it was only a matter of time before he once again quashed the spirited efforts by Bedene. A cross-court forehand gave him his third break of the match and this time he didn’t take it for granted. Battling towards the finish line, the top seed fired a deep serve down the line to grab his 27th win at The Queen’s Club.
“I thought it was not bad. A very different opponent from the first round. Aljaz plays most of the time from the back. I’m still getting used to the conditions a bit but I played well,” Murray said about his performance.
Murray’s tricky match was clearly illustrated by the statistics. The two time grand slam champion produced six aces and 24 winners, lower than Bedene’s 11 and 25. The telling factor of the match was Murray’s ability to play the crucial points. In regards to that, he stood out by a mile.
Awaiting him in the next round will be Kyle Edmund, who received a walkover against France’s Nicolas Mahut. Speaking about the upcoming all-British encounter, the world No.2 spoke positively about the form of rising-star Edmund.
“Kyle Edmund is improving all the time – it’s not one massive leap but every year he gets a bit better and he’s going in the right direction. Hopefully this year he can finish higher than he did last year.” He said about Edmund.
The upcoming quarter-final will be Murray’s sixth of the season. He is now only three wins away from becoming the first man in history to claim the title at The Queen’s Club on five separate occasions.
