Juan Martin Del Potro praises world number one Andy Murray after their French Open match, 'Andy proved he is a real No. 1.
The double Olympic champion then went on to claim the second and third sets 7-5 and 6-0 respectively to secure victory over Del Potro, who he beat in the final of Rio 2016.
Although Murray was keen to talk up his performance in his second-round win over Martin Klizan, he surely knew he would have to significantly raise his level to stand a chance against Del Potro.
"The first set was very, very important for me - in these conditions, slowing and heavy, to come back would have been hard if I had lost it", two-time Wimbledon champion Murray said after the match.
"But this happens when you play against the No. 1 in the world.
I played really well during the points today, and like in the last round I found a way to turn the match around". Maybe I didn't start the best, but I made some changes in the match tactically.
"Each day, I'm feeling a little bit better, so hopefully I can keep it going".
"It was a good one for me to get through". That's been the case so far. I was not playing well.
Trouble for champs? Growing tension divides Conte, Chelsea
The Spain global , 28, smashed in 20 goals to help the Blues secure their second Premier League title in three years last season. Conte has told Costa via text message he can leave this summer, but the Chelsea hierarchy are keen to keep hold of the striker.
Del Potro's sporting reaction to an opponent in distress may have gone some way to explaining why the crowd were so much behind the Argentinian here, even cheering Murray double faults.
Cilic is yet to surrender a set at Roland Garros this year and has failed to lose more than three games in any set played, which serves as an indication as to the kind of form he's enjoying as he seeks glory in Paris.
She led by a set but trailed in the second set.
The third was plain sailing for the 30-year-old who had broken the spirit of his opponent, and although Del Potro nearly prevented the bagel in the final game of the contest, Murray hit back to run out a deserving victor.
This was their 10th meeting (the first since that epic Davis Cup match in Glasgow) and 6th win for Andy who will now face John Isner or Karen Khachanov.It was the closest possible battle in the opening two sets and Andy managed to win both, leaving his rival with nothing more in the tank in the final set. "It was a very tough first set and after that I really got into it, " said Wawrinka, the 2015 champion.
He knew the opener was key in the slow, heavy conditions and by the third set, he was on the ropes, winning just 11points. I have been playing great, great points during whole the first set.
'I think it's going to be a good match and good experience for me.
The third-seeded Romanian, a beaten finalist in Paris in 2014, is being tipped as a title favourite after a stellar run-up on clay to this year's tournament. So that's why he kept forcing me to move, to move away from the baseline. I told him to try to be calm. But it still was extremely complicated, because he was starting to return the balls better.
Comments