[穆瑞] Spirited Murray falls ro Almagro
Page last updated at 15:39 GMT, Friday, 30 May 2008 16:39 UK
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/7426116.stm
French Open: Sunday 25 May to Sunday 8 June
Coverage: BBCi, Radio 5 Live and the BBC Sport website.
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British number one Andy Murray showed flashes of brilliance before losing
to clay-court specialist Nicolas Almagro in round three of the French Open.
Almagro broke Murray's opening service game and was rarely troubled en
route to securing the first set.
Murray battled back to claim the second set on a tie-break and then broke
early to take control of the third.
But Almagro won five straight games and the set before breaking twice in
the fourth for a 6-3 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 7-5 win.
The Spaniard will now play French wildcard Jeremy Chardy who beat Russia's
Dmitry Tursunov, the 30th seed, 7-6 (7-1) 6-3 6-4.
Both are opponents Murray, 21, would have been confident of overcoming,
but the Scot should nonetheless take heart from his battling performance
against Almagro, who dropped to his knees in celebration upon sealing victory.
Appearing in the third round at Roland Garros for the first time
following his fine win over Jose Acasuso on Wednesday, Murray overcame a
disappointing first set and looked in ominous form.
But the class of Almagro, who has more clay-court wins than any other
player in 2008, eventually proved overwhelming.
I want to try to win Wimbledon - I'm not saying it's going to happen, but if
I play my best tennis, I can win
Andy Murray
"I think I proved I'm a good clay court player," said Murray. "You saw by the
way that he reacted at the end of the match that it was a tough match.
"To win against me on clay, it is a very good result - I'm not someone that's
going to be taken lightly on this surface in the future.
"I believe that I'm going to be one of the top players on clay in a couple
years. I just need a bit more experience, a bit more strength and
understanding of how to play and I'll be up there with the best players."
Almagro, seeded 19, has won clay-court titles in Brazil and Mexico and
now boasts 28 wins on the surface this year.
After holding serve comfortably in the first game, the 22-year-old
punished Murray for his failure to land a single first serve as he broke for
a 2-0 lead.
The variety Almagro was able to generate from his venomous forehand
allowed him to conserve energy and forced Murray to work tirelessly just to
keep points alive.
But, having been angered by a suspect line call that aided Almagro in
closing out the first set, Murray's response in the second was impressive and
a series of winners raised the spirits of both himself and the crowd.
He began to counter Almagro's heavy hitting and it took two consecutive
aces and some desperate shot-making from the Spaniard to save three break
points in the fourth game.
Murray, too, had to show grit, fighting his way back from 0-40 down in the
ninth game with two wonderful volleys to stay in the set.
606: DEBATE
I've been watching tennis for 40 years and at no point have I seen Andy
Murray play the kind of tennis where I would have mentioned "Grand Slam"
together with him winning one
nigeweir
Two timely aces helped Murray wrap up the tie-break and it looked as if
the Scot had worn down his lesser-ranked opponent.
He took the initiative by breaking the Almagro serve in the third game,
the Spaniard struggling with a tricky lob and putting his overhead between
the tramlines.
Crucially, Almagro broke back, this time a precise lob doing the damage
and suddenly the momentum was swinging his way, his superior knowledge of the
surface proving pivotal.
A couple of Murray volleys dumped into the net saw Almagro break again
and he duly served out to take the set and control of the match.
The fourth set saw Murray lose his first service game with a wild forehand,
but then show admirable spirit to break back when Almagro served for victory
in the 10th game.
But Almagro's relentless pressure, power and guile immediately told as he
broke back and then served out the match.
Murray's attentions now turn to the grass court season and the increased
expectations of Wimbledon.
"I want to try to win the tournament. I'm not saying it's going to happen,
but I believe that if I play my best tennis, I can win," said Murray, who did
not compete at the All England Club in 2007 because of a wrist injury.
"I've won against a lot of the top players. Not as many guys play so well on
grass. If you can get through the first few rounds and work your way into the
tournament, there's no reason why not."
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║ソフトバンク,軟體銀行四大天王 ║ＳＯＦＴＢＡＮＫ║ ﹦ ║
╠═══════════════╩════════╩═════╣
║カズミ サイトウ,トシヤ スギウチ,ナギサ アラカキ,ツヨシ ワダ ║
║192cm,96kg 175cm,82kg 189cm,81kg 179cm,77kg ║
╚══════════════════════════════╝
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