Two of game’s best scramblers are poised for entertaining rallies, where fitness will be a key factor. “We pretty much grew up together,” says Gaël Monfils of his quarter-final opponent Andy Murray. Since the age of ten, the two have worked their way up the tennis ladder. Their two official matches in the juniors were split, with each player beating the other on his home soil in 2003 and 2004. On the pro circuit, Monfils gained a quick jump on their head-to-head, including a five-set victory in the first round of the 2006 French Open.Cont...
Since 2008, it has been all Murray, winning three times although the last two went the distance. Now in their mid-20s (Monfils is 27 and Murray 26), they are set to square off for a spot in the semi-finals.
Their paths to this point in the tournament have also been mirror images. Both needed four sets to survive in round one before enjoying a straight-set win in the second. In round three, they both went five sets (Murray 12-10 over Kohlschreiber and Monfils 6-2 over Fognini) before sealing last 16 victories in three sets.
Monfils put an end to Guillermo Garcia Lopez’s run, which included a stunning first-round upset of Stan Wawrinka, while Murray saw off Fernando Verdasco.
Monfils, one of the best entertainment values in tennis, came into the French with little clay-court preparation due to an ankle injury. Murray also has little red dirt on his shoes this season, though he did push Rafael Nadal to 7-5 in the third set in Rome in one of the two tournaments he played prior to coming here.
Given the athletic prowess of both players, this could be one of the best dogfights of the fortnight.
No comments:
Post a Comment