Tennis News

Andy Murray reached his first semi-final at the BNP Paribas Masters on his ninth appearance at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament in Paris.

Second seed Murray recorded his fourth straight win – and seventh overall – against No. 10 seed Richard Gasquet in a hard-fought 7-6(7), 3-6, 6-3 victory on Friday afternoon. The Scot is now 58-0 this year after winning the first set.

The victory, his 67th of 2015, ensured that Murray has compiled his best match record in a single season. With the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on the horizon at The O2 in London from 15-22 November, Murray is now 67-11 on the year. In 2009, the Scot finished with a 66-11 mark.

Murray started with a bang, breaking Gasquet’s serve in the second game and went on to survive an 18-point, 13-minute hold for a 3-0 lead. But Gasquet recovered to 4-4 and went on to lead 5/3 in the tie-break. Murray saved one set point on Gasquet’s serve at 5/6 with a backhand winner and closed out the 75-minute opener on his second set point opportunity.

“It was obviously an important shot in the match,” said Murray, on the backhand slice winner that saved set point. “I kind of assumed or anticipated that he was going to come into the net. I obviously had to hit it well, had to hit it clean to get it past him and put a little bit of, I don’t know, sort of swerve on the ball to bring it back into the court.”

Gasquet broke Murray to 15 for a 4-2 lead in the 40-minute second set, closing out on his third set point chance, and maintained the pressure on the second seed early in the decider. Murray broke decisively on his fourth chance in the ninth game, then mixed up his service pace to close out the pair’s 10th meeting in two hours and 39 minutes.

I feel like I have been striking the ball well this week,” said Murray. “I think the first two matches obviously were extremely good. I think at periods of today’s match, I also played extremely well. At the beginning of the second set… I feel like my level dropped. You really want to make sure your level stays high after winning a set like that.”

Murray joined Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal as the only players to reach the semi-finals (or better) at all nine ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments.

Gasquet, who is currently No. 9 in the Emirates ATP Race To London, said, “Even if you are winning, as I did in the third set, I knew he [would] never miss a return. [He was] always putting the ball in the court, playing very fast from the baseline, serving well. He’s very clever on the court. Fighting so much.”

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Roger Federer knew he would have his hands full against John Isner on Court Central. Sure, he was 5-1 against the altitudinous American, his only defeat coming in a Davis Cup clash on clay in 2012. But the Swiss was well aware of Isner’s record on the indoor courts of Paris, where the 6-foot-10 power server was 7-6 and had reached the semi-finals in 2011. With a serve like his, anything can happen.

“When I saw the draw and I saw I had a possibility of playing him in the second round,” Federer observed, “it’s the kind of draw I don’t really like to see.” 

“I know it’s not going to be easy,” said Federer prior to the match. “I need to make sure I focus on my own game and see what I can do on his serve. There are only so many opportunities. I’m aware of that. He goes through a lot of close matches. He’s used to that kind of stuff. We’re not used to that many tie-breakers and 7‑6s in the third.”

Prescient words from Federer, as Thursday’s Round-of-16 match-up would indeed come down to a third-set tie-break, Isner emerging victorious behind 27 aces 7-6(3), 3-6, 7-6(5).

As he showed at the BNP Paribas Masters, with no sun, no wind, no game-changing elements to affect his toss, Isner’s weapon of choice is as lethal as they come.

“I think he serves consistent throughout the year,” said Federer, who despite the loss registered 13 of his own aces and was never broken. “I think with him it’s more can he serve big when he really needs it the most?  Does indoors maybe help him there a little bit? Potentially. He’s got the size, got the power, got the angles. I thought he did very well today when he needed it. The breakers, he served great. Those are the ones he needed.  That was the difference.”

On Wednesday, Federer needed just 47 minutes to dispatch Italian Andreas Seppi 6-1, 6-1. There would be no such brevity against the former collegiate standout, the three-set match lasting some two hours and 16 minutes.

Did his title run last week in Basel (d. Rafael Nadal 6-3, 5-7, 6-3) take a toll on his body?

“Maybe the eye was a thousandth of a second slower,” quipped the 34-year-old, who said he “played without pain” despite a mid-match visit from a trainer to check his arm. “I mean, what do you want me to tell you?  I was definitely not tired from last night. I was ready to go today.”

Next up for Federer is the Nov. 15-22 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, where he has had his share of success in the past. In fact, the World No. 2 has held the trophy at the year-end showdown on no less than six occasions.

“I have been there since 2002,” he said. “It’s one of the tournaments that I’ve enjoyed most and that I’ve had a lot of pleasure winning.  I’m happy I’m qualified.  We’ll see the groups, the round robins. I’m very eager to go to London and get prepared as well as I can.  I’m in good shape.  I’m healthy, so I want that tournament to start.”

John Isner came through a tense third-set tie-break on Thursday to beat Roger Federer 7-6(3), 3-6, 7-6(5) at the BNP Paribas Masters. The American secured the win on his fourth match point after two hours and 16 minutes and improved his FedEx ATP Head2Head record against the No. 3 seed to 2-5. Both of Isner’s wins (2012 Davis Cup, indoor clay) have come indoors.

“Does indoors maybe help him there a little bit? Potentially,” Federer said. “He’s got the size, got the power, got the angles. I thought he did very well today when he needed it. The ‘breakers, he served great. Those are the ones he needed. That was the difference.”

Federer went down despite claiming the lone service break of the match, midway through the second set. The third-seeded Swiss struck 13 aces and saved all six break points faced, but misfired on a forehand to drop the first set and was on the receiving end of an unplayable 145 miles per hour Isner serve on the final point of the match.

“If you know me, you know that that’s my favorite serve,” said Isner about his play selection on match point. “It’s sort of one of those things, a lot of people know I’m going there. Catch it if you can. It’s like a pitcher with a fast ball, I guess. It’s a shot I have hit a million times. I have played a lot of matches in my career now. I have been in that situation before.”

Federer, the 2011 Paris champion had been perfect in tie-breaks against Isner since the pair’s first meeting at the 2007 US Open (5-0), but lost the initiative in both on Thursday. In the first-set tie-break, Isner fired a forehand winner to move ahead 3/1 before serving it out. In the decider, the American found the critical mini-break by drawing Federer to the net and forcing the Swiss into a backhand overhead miss.

“At the US Open, I won my tie-breakers,” Federer said. “Here, I lost them. It’s a pity. I didn’t play a bad match. I haven’t been broken during six sets against him, and I lost the match. This is how it happens against John.  It’s always on his racquet, especially indoors.”

“This is a very big tournament,” Isner said. “He’s an incredible player. My favorite player and the greatest of all time, in my opinion. It was a huge win for me. I’m very proud I was able to get it done.”

Isner will contest his 10^th quarter-final of the season against David Ferrer, who topped Grigor Dimitrov 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-4 in two hours and 20 minutes. The tenacious returner was unable make inroads on the Dimitrov serve in the opening set, but went five-for-10 on break points the rest of the way to secure his fifth win over the Bulgarian (5-1).

Isner and Ferrer have met six times with the Spaniard winning five of those matches. However, the big-serving American’s win came in the Paris quarter-finals four years ago.

“It’s been a while since I have played him,” Isner said. “That’s sometimes how it works out. You play a lot of the top guys, three, four times a year. Some you never play. This will be a tough challenge for me. I know going in he’s never going to give up and he’s always going to fight. He’s an incredible player with an unbelievable work ethic, and he’s earned everything he’s ever gotten. It will be a fun match.”

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