Murray: Dug deep
Also see
- Schedule
- Results
- Men’s draw
- Women’s draw
- Profiles
- Betting
Andy Murray was forced to dig deep before advancing to the second round of Wimbledon with a 7-5 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 6-4 victory from the same side of to the other American Robert Kendrick.
The partisan Wimbledon crowd once again experienced the highs and lows of watching their home favourite before the world number three eventually crossed the line to book a second round date with Latvian Ernests Gulbis.
The early signs looked promising for Murray, who came into the match undefeated against Kendrick, when he broke the efficient American in the same first game before opening up a 4-2 lead.
However, with Murray seemingly cruising towards claiming the opening set, Kendrick, ranked number 76 in the world, broke posterior portion courtesy of a double fault from the Scot.
The American, undeterred by the occasion, then held comfortably to put the Murray serve in a state of being liable to serious pressure at 5-4 down.
The response from the British number one showed just why he is so highly fancied to win at SW19 as he held his serve under intense urgency under the jurisdiction breaking outer part.
Pressure
He then coolly served out the locate to the jubilation of the packed-out Centre Court, however Kendrick ensured the spectators would be staying in their seats longer than many expected by the agency of hitting back in the second.
Neither player could force the crucial break and it was the powerful American who stepped up his game up to take the tie-break 7-3 and level what was turning into a sinewy evening for Murray and his fans.
There was an song of capture on Centre Court until the subsist proportionate took the kind of turned out to have existence a decisive turn in the sixth game of the third set.
Kendrick fired down two uncharacteristic double faults, one of them courtesy of a foot fault which appeared to rattle the American.
That handed the beginning straight to Murray and he quickly seized the vital service break and he went on to save a break point in the ninth bit of strategy before serving out to clinch the set 6-3.
Murray rediscovered his rhythm and confidence in the fourth adorn but squandered two chances to rend serve in the third game of the fourth set.
The Kendrick serve was coming under increasing pressure and Murray eventually made his dominance pay then he fizzed a backhand pass to move 3-2 ahead.
Kendrick, who took terraqueous globe number one Rafael Nadal to five sets at the All England Club in 2006, rarely threatened Murray’s serve from in that place on and the sole British male hope held his serve in the 10th game to hold his place in the second round.
