Friday, 3 August 2012

Brilliant Murray sets up Federer final

Clive Brunskill / Getty Images
Tennis News: Andy Murray


Andy Murray will play Roger Federer for the Olympic gold medal on Sunday after a brilliant 7-5 7-5 victory over Novak Djokovic in Friday's men's singles semi-final.
The 25-year-old is now guaranteed at least a silver medal and will have the chance to make it gold in a repeat of last month's Wimbledon final.
Murray has never beaten Djokovic at a grand slam but the best-of-three-set format and the surface played slightly into the hands of the Scot.
He has managed to take the momentum from his great Wimbledon run into the Olympics and looked particularly impressive inThursday's victory over Nicolas Almagro.
Djokovic presented a big step up, of course, but Murray came out supremely aggressive and had two break points in the Serb's first service game.
He could not take them, but the signs were very good, and when he came under pressure in the seventh game he did not waver, coming through a long game.
The standard from both men was superb as they traded fast and flat groundstrokes, pulling each other all around the court, but it was Murray who had the final say in the first set.
With Djokovic serving to stay in it, Murray brought up his first set point and took it with a curling forehand pass that was agonisingly out of his opponent's reach.
The Scot roared and Centre Court roared with him, but the job was only half done and Djokovic is a man who never knows when he is beaten.
Murray had to save break points in both his first two service games in the second set as the second seed piled on the pressure, but the break did not come.
Djokovic was certainly not making the most of the openings he did have, and Murray saved another break point in the ninth game, this time with a pinpoint serve.
Player and crowd celebrated together as he held on once more, and amazingly it was the same story two games later, Djokovic by now laughing in exasperation at his failure to break through.
The Serb had been so solid on his serve all set but suddenly he found himself at 0-30 and, when Murray stepped in on a return, he had three match points.
Djokovic has made salvaging such situations a bit of a speciality but not this time, a return from the Scot simply too good and he wept with joy as Centre Court rose to its feet.
Murray even got out of his chair to leap exuberantly into the air as he savoured one of the best results and performances of his career.

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