Davis Cup day 1: Murray v Dolgopolov

imoen · Admin: Moderator+Tennis Legend

RE: Davis Cup day 1: Murray v Dolgopolov

imoen · Admin: Moderator+Tennis Legend

d breaks to 30 to be fair it was coming for a while and he played well and deserved it.

Hopefully Andy can break back immediately.

d leads second set 2-0 with a break.

imoen · Admin: Moderator+Tennis Legend

D holds to 30. he played some great shots there, some really clean winners, much as I hate to say it.

I think he's a lot better than his ranking suggests, and has a really good variety of shots he can play, very much like Andy last year. However, he doesn't have the instinctive feel for the game and shot selection that Andy has. Andy should still win this in three but perhaps not as easily as we all thoght.

Sheddie · administrator

2nd set:

D serving:

15-0: M bh return long 30-0: M fh wide 40-0: ace out wide
Game: dropshot winner from D

6-3, 0-1

M serving:

0-15: Great bh cross-court return from D, M just gets it back and D puts away easy fh
15-15: D hits midcourt fh long 15-30: double fault
15-40: M bh wide 30-40: ace Game: D powers cross-court forehand, then down the line then puts a volley into open court

6-3, 0-2

D serving:

15-0: Bh smash winner 15-15: bh slice wide 30-15 fh return long
30-30: fh wide 40-30: fh down the line winner Game

6-3, 0-3

M held to love

Then D missed 4 bh slices in a game, M got to 0-40 then a D service winner then another missed slice

6-3, 2-3

imoen · Admin: Moderator+Tennis Legend

andy holds serve to love. some good first serves (well two) from him but it was mainly due to ues on the returns from D. still, he's on the board in teh second set.

3-1

by the way, the crowd is much much quieter than the last match for those who like to know such things. And Brad is wearing all black (surprised?) at the sidelines.

imoen · Admin: Moderator+Tennis Legend

andy breaks to 15, forcing the errors from d but also just letting them happen.

D is quite short (for a tennis player he probably still towers over me) and looks like he's still growing, he also looks like the 17 year he is, not one of those early developers.

3-2

imoen · Admin: Moderator+Tennis Legend

andy holds to 15. the only reason he didn't hold to love is because he went long on a ridiculously easy volley as in he was so surprised it was so easy he fluffed it!

D isn't finding the lines any more and Andy is. the game ended with a lovely lob from Andy that d just about reached but couldn't get back in play.

Sheddie · administrator

M serving:

30-0

40-0: D fh wide

40-15: M bh wide

Game: D dropshot, M reaches it, lobs D, D runs back and gets it but can't keep it in play

6-3, 3-3

D serving:

0-15: D dropshot is not short enough and M hits it for winner

0-30: M forces D out wide and under pressure, D goes into tramlines

15-30: D serve-volleys, takes M by surprise

15-40: D is forced wide and goes for an angled fh but sends it wide

30-40: ace

Game: D fh long and he bounces the racket

6-3, 4-3

imoen · Admin: Moderator+Tennis Legend

andy breaks to 30. leads 4-3 with a break.

the first point there was a beauty from AM, d hit a good dropshot but Andy reached it and hit the volley cross court winner almost between D's legs!

D lost the game when he netted during the rally. his main problem is his shot selection is pretty poor at the moment and so he's not able to dominate the points resulting in either Andy dominating or him getting frustrated and hitting the ue.

imoen · Admin: Moderator+Tennis Legend

5-3 andy holds to 15. the point, he gave away by missing the volley (into the net) after serve volleying.

he won the game with a dropshot and then winner off the resulting smash into the empty court.

Sheddie · administrator

M holds comfortably to 15

D serving:

15-0: M bh long 15-15: D nets a fh 30-15: ace 30-30: D serves outwide then hits a drive volley into the open court. Amazingly M is there and hits a wonderful topspin lob winner. Incredible ! Possibly shot of the day. Even D is smiling

30-40: M attacks the net with a deep bh return, great first volley, D mi****s lob attempt and M hits volley winner

Deuce: D forces M back and hits dropshot winner

Ad D: Ace

Game: M mi****s return

6-3, 5-4

imoen · Admin: Moderator+Tennis Legend

hehe, it makes me laugh evertime you write mis-hit.

andy once again serves for the set.

imoen · Admin: Moderator+Tennis Legend

it takes him a couple of goes but Andy holds to take the second set 64.

d stands really far back from the baseline to receive the serve, and in that last game it looked to me like he moved back a pace to take the second serve. Thta may just have been the camera angle but even so he is standing a long way back.

imoen · Admin: Moderator+Tennis Legend

d holds to 15 in the first game of the third set.

D came into the net wit great effectiveness on a couple of those points, then the final two were both dropshots, the first from andy with heaps of backspin, a winner. the second from D, a got to it and got it back but d's volley hit the racket edge and disappeared into the crowd.

imoen · Admin: Moderator+Tennis Legend

andy holds to 15.

0-15 a nets
15-15, return long

andy's first serves are great, when they go in and each time they do they surprise D who seems to expect (and rightly so) Andy to fault first time around!

1-1 third set