Andy Murray’s dream of helping defend the Davis Cup title has been dealt a blow after he was defeated in a five-hour epic by Juan Martin del Potro 6-4, 5-7, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 , in the opening match of Great Britain’s semi-final clash against Argentina.
In what was a rematch of the Rio Olympic final last month, where Murray triumphed in a four-set epic, it seemed destined that the two players would once again be locked in another titanic battle after the world No.2 survived an eight-minute opening service game. As Murray successfully made use of his defensive skills to break for a 2-0 lead, his Argentine opponent responded immediately. Del Potro had a very clear game plan of staying in rallies and attacking Murray’s serve by racing to the net. It was a tactic that initially brought joy to the Argentinian team as the former US Open champion began to disrupt Murray’s mindset after another costly error handed Del Potro another break for 4-3. The Brit was clearly shaken in front of his home crowd as Del Potro close the first set out to love, clinching the lead with an ace down the line.
Murray’s frustration of losing the first set was evident as he kept looking towards his camp when he was outplayed by his rival on the court. Del Potro was shining with confidence following his recent run to the US Open quarter-finals after being sidelined from the tour for so long due to wrist problems. Fortunately for the home crowd, the second set was a much closer encounter with both players remaining resilient in their service games. Nevertheless, Murray was still a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. The explosion nearly happened when he threatened to smash his racket on the ground after an error gifted Del Potro a break point opportunity for 5-4. To the relief of British captain Leon Smith, Murray maintained his composure to fight back and hold his service game.
No time for a tweener! Andy Murray produces a stunning passing shot against Juan Martin Del Potro… #DavisCup https://t.co/AL2bZXNuta
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) 16 September 2016
The encounter between the two resembled a boxing match with both men trading hits against each other by producing tennis that would have been worthy in a grand slam final. One of Murray’s biggest blows came in the form of a smash at the net as he worked his way to a duo of set points before he was able to level the match at one set each after a Del Potro shot drifted wide, sending the British crowd into hysteria.
As the crowd continued to roar, it did little to tame Del Potro’s spirits as the roller coaster match continued with a series of breaks on both sides. Once again, it was Del Potro who seized the opportunity, but not in the way he wanted. A call from a member of the crowd made Murray believe that his opponent’s serve was called out, prompting him to stop playing. He protested to the umpire, who refused to side with the Brits as Argentina controversially moved a game away from a two sets lead. The Argentinian breakthrough failed to occur as the fired up world No.2 immediately responded, firing a forehand winner down the line to level 5-5 on the way to forcing a third set tiebreaker. The tiebreaker was reminiscent of the entire match with Murray surging ahead before being pegged back. Nevertheless, he was able to clinch the lead after a deep shot was unsuccessfully returned from the other side of the court.
It was still a case of so near, but so far for Murray as a poor service game from the Brit contributed to Del Potro racing to a 4-1 lead in the fourth set, abruptly turning down the volume of the animated Glaswegian crowd. The British momentum was no more as a del Potro drop shot elevated the match into a decider.
In Davis Cup history Murray has never lost a five set match. Every game became crucial to the outcome of the match, yet neither player refused to budge during the early stages of the decider. Del Potro was the first to strike as he worked his way to a breakpoint for 4-2, but failed to convert. Argentina’s breakthrough occurred two games later when a sublime passive shot from Del Potro secured the break for 4-3, closing in on ending Murray’s spotless record. Approaching the five-hour mark, a winning forehand down the line handed Argentina their first match point before it was saved by a Murray ace. It still wasn’t enough to deny Del Potro as he finally sealed the victory with a 135 Mph ace down the centre of the court.
“It was amazing for us.” Del Potro said about winning the match for his team.
“Against Andy you never know when the match will finish. He is a dangerous player, a fighter and great champion. In end I played good forehands and good serves and that was key.
“I am so happy to be playing tennis again after three surgeries. This kind of moment was what I was missing at home and I always play good in Great Britain and here I played great so it is a good place for my tennis.”
Del Potro’s win in Glasgow has completed his quartet of big wins this summer. Prior to Murray, he has also defeated Stan Wawrinka, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
