Andy Murray has continued the defense of his Madrid Open title with a 7-5,6-4, win over crowd favorite Rafael Nadal.
The semifinal meeting was a repeat of last years final at the tournament, where Murray crushed the Spaniard in straight sets. This time round, the match was a lot closer, however, the world No.2 had the lead throughout as Nadal failed to take advantage of his many opportunities in the match.
The 24th encounter between the two tennis giants began with a roller coaster opening set for both players. The packed Manolo Santana stadium was silenced during the early stages of the match after a poor drop shot from Nadal handed Murray three chances to break. The world No.2 failed to convert his first two chances, due to a sublime smash and cross-court forehand from Nadal, but it was third time lucky for Murray after another substandard Nadal shot handed him the break for a 3-1 lead.
¡Se lleva el primer set Murray 7-5! ¡Partidazo en las semis del #MMOPEN! ✅ @TennisTV https://t.co/uSFGdVxgeJ
— Mutua Madrid Open (@MutuaMadridOpen) 7 May 2016
Holding the lead was problematic for Murray, who fended off two break points in the seventh game. Having the chance to serve the set out, he was unable to do so after a unforced error allowed Nadal back in the match, triggering a big roar in the Spanish stadium. The set seemed destined for a tiebreaker until Nadal’s game unexpectedly imploded at the time when he needed it the most. A cross-court backhand from the nine-time French Open champion went sailing out of the court, gifting Murray a trio of set points. The pressure on the Spaniard proved too great after a slow serve was rightfully punished by a blistering forehand winner down the line to give the defending champion the first set. The set was a case of missed opportunities for Nadal, who was unable to take advantage of Murray’s poor first serves in rate, which was only 41%.
Edging closer to a second consecutive Madrid final, Murray still had to encounter tough resistance from his opponent, who was cheered on by the crowd. Three break points came and went for Nadal as the world No.2 held firm at the start of the second set. It became evident that Nadal was growing in frustration as he contentiously failed to capitalized on vital points throughout the match, especially in the second set. Murray dealt his rivals chances of winning a fifth title a further blow after a backhand smash from the net was unreturned by Nadal, rewarding him a crucial break for 4-2.
Closing out the match was a case of deja vu for the Brit after he hit a forehand into the net to allowed Nadal to break back, bringing his title hopes back to life. Yet again Nadal couldn’t level after a terrible smash handed Murray two more match points. The win was then sealed after a sharp hit from Murray prompted yet another Nadal error.
“I think it was a better win for me this year than last year,” Murray said about his second win against Nadal on the clay.
“I didn’t think he played his best match in the final last year, not that I’m saying he played his best tennis today, but I think he played better than last year.”
The story of the match can be told with the break point conversion rate of both players. Murray converted 4/6 chances compared to Nadal’s poor 2/13.
Murray’s win has ended Nadal’s 13-match winning streak. In the final he will play either Kei Nishikori or world No.1 Novak Djokovic. The two-time grand slam champion must win Sunday’s final in order to retain his position of No.2 in the world. A loss would hand the position to Roger Federer.
