Andy Murray defeated John Isner for the seventh time on Friday to reach the ATP Erste Bank Open semi-finals and keep alive his bid to snatch Novak Djokovic's world No 1 ranking.
Murray, the 2014 champion in Vienna, eased past Isner 6-1 6-3 in 73 minutes and now goes on to face defending champion David Ferrer for a place in the final on Saturday after the Spaniard came through an epic contest against Viktor Troicki.
If he wins the tournament and Paris Masters crown next week, Murray could unseat Djokovic as the top-ranked player as long as the Serbian loses before the final in the French capital.
Watch NOW TV
Watch Sky Sports for just £6.99. No contract.
Isner crumbled in a one-sided opening set which lasted just 27 minutes. The American made an uncharacteristic 20 unforced errors, while Murray was perfect on his first serve and almost as immaculate on his second.
The punishment continued in the second set after Isner received treatment for a blister on his right hand following the opening game.
How Murray beat Isner...
Relive the action as Andy Murray beat John Isner to reach the semi-finals in Vienna
Murray was working his opponent around the Vienna court at a waltz, although the world No 27 avoided a ninth game against him on the spin and the potential of a dreaded bagel by holding serve, which was received with an ironic cheer from the home crowd.
The Wimbledon and Olympic champion knocked the stuffing out of Isner in a lengthy fifth game lasting over eight minutes before seeing out the match with consummate ease, showcasing his all-court skills and confidence to stretch his unbeaten streak to 14 matches.
Ferrer was pushed all the way against a revitalised Troicki, who was looking to continue his excellent run in the tournament after wins over Kevin Anderson and home favourite Dominic Thiem. The fifth seed won through 3-6 6-3 7-5.
In the day's other matches, big-serving Ivo Karlovic from Croatia saved a match point and fired 29 aces against promising 20-year-old Russian Karen Khachanov to win 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-5) 6-3. Karlovic now has a season-leading 1,081 aces.
He will next face sixth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for a place in the final after the Frenchman beat Spain's Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-2 7-6 (7-5).
Check our game-by-game updates from Andy Murray's semi-final match against David Ferrer at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna on skysports.com/tennis, our app for mobile devices and iPad and our Twitter account @skysportstennis this Saturday or catch the action, live on Sky Sports 4 HD from 1pm.
By purchasing a Sky Sports Day Pass for £6.99 or Sky Sports Week Pass for £10.99, you __can enjoy access to all seven Sky Sports channels and watch on a TV with a NOW TV Box or on a range of devices.
No comments:
Post a Comment