Tennis News
Murray Struggles Through as Gublis Falls
Andy Murray had a tough time against qualifier Tim Smyczek at the Farmer’s Classic in Los Angeles yesterday, and was broken four times in a sloppy 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 victory. It was the Scot’s first match since losing to Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. "The first set was good and I started the second set with chances," Murray said after the win. "I was struggling a little bit with my movement, when I got stiff and sore. But I managed to find a way to win. The top of my right hip and lower back was stiff. It isn´t an injury, just on one of the changeovers my muscles started hurting. The last few changeovers I was standing up – something I have never done on tour before." Murray recently split with coach Miles Maclagan, and without his direction has perhaps been taking things a little too easy. “Last week I was practising for an hour each day and not really doing that much moving.”
Ernests Gulbis suffered a shock second round loss to Alejandro Falla, losing to the Columbian in a third set tie-breaker despite taking a 3-0 lead early in the set. American James Blake defeated Benjamin Becker 7-5, 7-6 to go through to his first quarter-final of the year. “It´s a great feeling to come through a tough match," Blake said. "It definitely could have gone the other way pretty easily. [I was] down a break in the first, but that will happen as I go for my shots. Second set he had a break point early. Today there wasn’t a lot of adversity to test me, but today there was."
