Andy Murray vs Philipp Kohlschreiber Preview – ATP Madrid Masters 2015 Round 2
Just a few short days after claiming his first clay court title on the ATP World Tour, Andy Murray will come up against the same player he defeated to reach that accomplishment. The Briton will come up against Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber, whom he has met on four previous occasions, including twice this season already. Murray leads the head-to-head series 3-1.
The top seed at the BMW Open by FWU AG overcame a Saturday where he was forced to contest two consecutive matches and a Sunday that was washed away by a rain delay to win a grueling three set battle against Kohlschreiber to win the title. He fired 17 aces to win the match 7-6(4), 5-7, 7-6(4).
“He served unbelievably well. I had very few chances when I was returning. We may even play one another in Madrid, in a few days’ time [this week]. Philipp is a superb competitor and fought right to the end. It is nice to have won my first clay title and I hope to win another one soon.
The German was unable to earn the victory against the Scot one home soil but he will look to avenge it when they meet in Madrid.
“It was a great atmosphere and a great crowd,” Kohlschreiber told ATPWorldTour.com. “We both gave everything. It was so close, but at the end there has to be one winner. Unfortunately, for me, it was Andy. It was a fantastic game.”
This is just the fifth time these two competitors will cross paths on the tour, and will not be an easy contest for the British No. 1. He has been dealt no favours against his German adversary, who holds a win over Murray back in 2010 on this same surface. The two played an intense three set match just a few days ago and while Murray won the encounter to claim his first clay court title, it could have easily gone the other way.