Doha:- A Murray v O Rochus

Sheddie · administrator

Doha:- A Murray v O Rochus

Sheddie · administrator

Murray serving:

15-0: ace out wide

30-0: ace down T

30-15: R steps into the 2nd serve, crashes fh return dtl

40-15: R is a bit slow moving up the court to a fh and nets

Game: fh return long

6-0, 4-0

Sheddie · administrator

R hasn't been helped by 28 unforced errors in this match !

Sheddie · administrator

Rochus serving:

0-15: big return cross-court, M into net behind a slice then easy volley into open court

15-15: return long

15-30: R does all the hard work, big forehand dtl, into net but nets easy volley going for a dropshot

15-40: fh return winner dtl

30-40: huge bh from R, right into M's bh corner.

deuce: another deep backhand from R, pushing M back then an inch perfect dropshot

Ad R: R gets M on the run again with the backhands then another quality dropshot

Game:

6-0, 4-1

Sheddie · administrator

Murray serving:

0-15: good serve out wide, forehand into the space, R floats it back cross-court and M nets tricky low volley

0-30: bh pass dtl

15-30: bh cross-court is just wide, R doesn't like the call

30-30: big serve down T, fh into space and comfy smash

30-40: silly dropshot from M, nets it

Game: nets fh going dtl

6-0, 4-2

Sheddie · administrator

Rochus serving:

15-0: bh long

30-0: fantastic retrieving from R as M makes him cover every inch of the court, M goes wide with a fh going for a bit too much in the end

40-0: big fh dtl from R

40-15: dropshot this time from M is perfect, R doesn't read it at all

40-30: big serve, return is just over the net, R pushes it dtl

deuce

Ad R: dropshot, M gets there but goes just long

deuce

Ad M: bh winner dtl

deuce: R pounds the corners with groundstrokes and then finishes the point with a wrong-footing volley onto the line

Ad R: M lob just long

deuce: dropshot, R goes long

Ad R: slice into corner. lob goes up, bh smash winner

deuce: R nets bh

Ad M: M draws R up the court with angled fhs and R goes just wide

deuce: M nets bh

Ad M: superb defence from M, in the end R nets bh

Game: finally R sends a fh long and surely this

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

(Pushes daughter off the computer to ask ) Has anybody got a clue what the score is now? Anybody watching Eurosport or the livestream? The SB has been stuck on 4-2 for ages!

Sheddie · administrator

6-0, 5-2

Sheddie · administrator

Murray serving:

0-15: R attacks 2nd serve, rips winner cross-court

0-30: fh long

15-30: R pulls fh just wide

30-30: big serve out wide, return wide

40-30: M keeps it low with slices and R nets bh

GSM: big serve out wide

6-0 , 6-2

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

timmoore46 · Admin:moderator + Club Coach

Andy won.

What was it like to watch? Also what went wrong in the lasr few games for Andy?

helki · Futures qualifying

Thank goodness: that 13th game seemed to take for ever. wink

Sheddie · administrator

key stats:

Murray hit 19 winners, Rochus 12...

Murray made 23 unforced errors while Rochus made 38 !!

wolf · Tennis legend

Andy will play either Schuettler or Pavel in R2, Schuettler is currently 2-0 up in the 3rd set.

Sheddie · administrator

Well really good performance from Andy, served well imo, few dropshots, returned really well especially off the Rochus 2nd serve, he really targeted that and just destroyed it in the 1st set, hitting so many winners off it...looked aggressive throughout and always looking to get into the net.....continuing right from where he left off in 2007 tbh

Last few games....well Rochus just upped his level, making a lot less errors and getting absolutely everything back....1st set and a half he just seemed like he had nothing to hurt Andy but from middle of the 2nd set onwards, he was hitting a lot deeper, taking more risks and making it harder for Andy to pick him off at the net....if he'd played like that throughout it'd have been a lot closer, maybe something like 4&4