Andy Murray
and Fernando Verdasco will meet on
Wednesday, the 3rd July for a spot in the semi-finals. They
have met nine times before and Verdasco has a solitary success. It was during
the Australian Open 2009 when Verdasco had the best run in a Grand Slam where
after defeating Murray in five sets, he went on to nearly knock out Rafael
Nadal in what some consider the best match of the tournament. Murray has defeated him on all other eight
occasions. They have not met during the last four years and never on grass.
Murray is yet to drop a set in the tournament.
Murray and
Verdasco play from the baseline basically. They engage the opponent in rallies
and seek an opening after trading a few shots. Murray’s forehand creates an
acute angle from the deuce court corner which will take Verdasco out on his
backhand and is likely to pose problems. Murray has more variety in his game
and is more solid in defence. Verdasco will be forced to go for a bit more on
his shots to end the rally and thereby commit a few more errors than he has
been seen doing in his matches so far. Murray is likely to be more patient
since the longer rallies will go in his kitty more often than not. He might
fire a few more aces than Verdasco, but it has to be seen whether Verdasco can
take advantage of the weaker second serve. Murray will be seen more often at
the net than Verdasco, but the court positioning otherwise will be similar.
Verdasco will find difficult to serve aces, since Murray generally puts racquet
on the opponents’ serves. Both are capable of stepping into aggressive play,
with Verdasco more likely to pull the trigger first. Murray has more control over
his aggression and has patience to wait for the clear opportunity to strike.
Both are good in court coverage and footwork with Murray having slight edge.
Verdasco
can win if he goes super aggressive without committing too many errors. This is
less likely to happen and Murray has clear advantage to secure a semi-final
berth.
