Murray Beats Federer in Dubai
Andy Murray is through to the second round of the Dubai Championships after coming from a set down to beat Roger Federer, the world’s top-ranked player, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4.
It is only the second time the British No 1 has beaten the Wimbledon champion and he did so in fine style after losing a first-set tie-break.
The 20-year-old Scot admitted playing Federer forced him to raise his game.
“Anytime you get to play someone like Roger it is an honour to be on the same court as him,” he said. “Each time I play him I step my game up and play pretty well and I played really well today and served great – which was really the key. “Sometimes he’s going to play some unbelievable shots and you are not going to have a chance against him – and I had to refocus at start of the second set.”
Murray had been unfortunate to lose a tight opening set which went with serve until Federer claimed two mini-breaks to ultimately prevail 8-6 in the tie-break.
The Scot regained his composure to take the second set 6-3, breaking Federer in the sixth game of the set. He then seized the initiative right at the start of the final set, breaking the Swiss in the first game, only to immediately drop his own serve.
Undeterred, Murray stunned his opponent by breaking again, this time to love, in the fifth game and then held his nerve, serving the match out to love with two aces to take the deciding set 6-4 and set up a meeting with Rainer Schuettler or Fernando Verdasco in the last 16.
Source: The Times Online.
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