Andy Murray faces an old foe in Richard
Gasquet in the fourth round on Monday, the 4th June. They have split results in the six meetings so far.
Gasquet is coming off an awesome display
against Tommy Haas whom he bageled twice in succession. It was no fluke, for
his aggression was there for all to see. It would be simplistic to say that
such display was against a 34 years old war horse. The quality of winners was
irrespective of the opponent. Haas did not play badly. But he was simply
overpowered. It will not be possible to replicate the performance against
Murray since he has the best anticipation on court and he is a fast mover. All
the same, Murray will have his hands full.
Gasquet is likely to exceed Murray in the
number of winners, especially on the backhand. Murray will have to retrieve and
retrieve, waiting for chance to counter attack. It could turn into a contest
between Gasquet attack and Murray defence. It is doubtful that Murray would be
able to find 70% of first serves in, which he did against Santiago Giraldo. His
aces may not exceed one per two service games, although he is capable of
serving two aces per three games. His conversion rate on break points might be
less than optimum. His defensive abilities will have to come to the fore. It is
not going to be a short match to win. In the process, his back issue might
flare up. It will not be a match where Murray will dictate the tempo of play, infact
he might have to react to it and therein would lie the necessity of reflexes
and instinctive shuffles. With fitness issues dogging him in this tournament,
trainer would not be an unexpected visitor on the court.
Murray is solid on backhand whereas Gasquet
is brilliant but not consistent on backhand. A longer rally on backhand might
go Murray’s way since he has greater variety by way of slice and top spin.
Gasquet produced astonishing winners against Haas from backhand, but one has to
see to believe their consistency when he plays against Murray. Both play
excellent running shots, Murray mostly on forehand and Gasquet on both flanks.
Murray is embodiment of percentage play
while Gasquet likes to take chances. Murray constructs the point to induce
error, whereas Gasquet goes for winners. Since Gasquet plays singlehanded,
Murray might prefer to go for angles rather than keep the ball in the middle
of the court.
Murray has been main obstacle for Gasquet in
the majors. All the three times they have met, Gasquet has lost. Twice he has
lost in five sets after being two sets up. But at present he has the momentum from
victory at Rome earlier this month. Additionally, the local support could prove
to be a factor. He is one of the two Frenchmen in the last sixteen.
If Gasquet plays like he did against Haas or Murray plays like he did against Giraldo, Gasquet wins. If Murray plays to his full potential, he wins.
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