Murray Produces Fireworks Versus Nadal in Australia

Written by Mike McIntyre

Tuesday, 26 January 2010 06:40

2010 Australian Open - Day 9

Ladies and gentlemen, play is suspended due to...fireworks.

Never before have I seen a professional tennis match, or any other sporting event for that matter, delayed due to fireworks overhead, but such was the case on Tuesday in Melbourne.

January 26th is Australia Day commemorating the 1788 arrival of British Fleets in Sydney. To celebrate, one of the most amazing fireworks displays I have ever witnessed was on hand in the middle of the second set between Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal.

The delay lasted 10 minutes during which play was stopped. Both players sat around trying their best not to get distracted during the visually impressive stoppage with Murray leading 6-3, 2-3, on serve in the second set.

The fireworks continued on court afterwards, as an inspired Spaniard would win the first three points on Murray's serve before breaking him to move ahead 4-2. Murray returned the favor on Nadal's next service game, breaking easily to get back on serve.

Later, with the match tied 5-5, Murray had three break point opportunities that he could not convert on. Each time, Nadal would come up with a great display of talent with either a reflex volley at net, an ace (his first of the match) or a cross-court shot that Murray simply could not reach in time. He would manage to make the crucial hold. In the next game, Murray would hang-on to send the two-hour match to a second set tiebreak. It was a crucial moment for Nadal.

It was all Murray in the tiebreak however. He would never allow Nadal even a chance to get into it and raced out to 3-0, and then 6-1 leads before taking it 7-2. Murray now held a stranglehold on the match up two sets to none.

Early in the third set with Nadal serving at 0-1, he would tweak his right knee on a seemingly innocent play where he stopped suddenly after making a routine shot. It is a move that Nadal makes countless times in each match. At the conclusion of the point and with the score at 15-15, he would immediately jog to his seat and call for the trainer and a subsequent injury timeout. The sight of Nadal getting his knee treated must have been disturbing for his coaching team, as the Spaniard was supposedly 100% healthy so far in 2010.

Returning to the court after a short stoppage, Nadal would lose the next three points in a row to hand Murray the break and put him ahead 2-0 in the third. After Murray took the next game to lead 3-0, the defending champion Nadal would be forced to retire due to the knee injury. Murray now advances to his first semi-final appearance at the Aussie Open winning 6-3, 7-6(2), 3-0. The Scotsman has yet to drop a set at the tournament.

For Nadal it is a devastating blow, as the Spaniard was trying to put his game back together after fighting knee issues for much of 2009. Even though he trailed two sets to one, a healthy Nadal always has a chance to claw his way back into a match. With the consistency in Murray's game, that likely would not have happened on this day - but it would have been nice to watch Nadal try.

Earlier in the day in the other men's quarter-final match, promising youngster Marin Cilic defeated Andy Roddick 7-6(4), 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3 to advance to his first-ever Grand Slam semi-final. We have been talking about Cilic's potential for several years now and at the age of 22 the 6'6'' giant from Croatia seems ready to take his place among the best players in the world. Cilic will certainly be vaulted into the top-ten following the conclusion of this tournament and will now face Murray in the semis.

Both players were coming off five set matches in the previous round as Roddick had been pushed to the brink by Fernando Gonzalez and Cilic by U.S. Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro. For Roddick, it is another Grand Slam disappointment. After tasting Grand Slam success in 2003 at Flushing Meadows, Roddick had the misfortune of being in his prime at the same time as Roger Federer - the greatest tennis player that ever lived. Now, although Federer is still ranked number one, the men's game has a diverse array of talent, like Cilic, who are making it hard for Roddick to get that elusive second major title.

Cilic and Murray will now face each other in the semi-finals, with Murray owning a 3-1 lead in career matches between them. Cilic won their last encounter, a straight sets victory at the U.S. Open last year. We'll see if Murray can keep the fireworks going when they take the court later this week.