By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, April 16, 2016
Rafael Nadal rallied past Andy Murray, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, roaring into his 100th career final and moving to within one win of his ninth Monte-Carlo crown.
Photo credit: Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters/Getty
Andy Murray made the King of Clay look like a monarch without a throne for one set today.
Seeking his first title of the season, Rafael Nadal recalled his problem-solving skills, reconnected his twisting topspin forehand and reclaimed the red-clay real estate he ruled for so long.
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A focused Nadal frustrated Murray with the depth of his drives and methodical pace of play blasting past the Scot, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, to reach his 100th career ATP final and 10th title match in Monte Carlo.
A day after Nadal dismantled reigning Roland Garros champion Stan Wawrinka, he deconstructed two-time Grand Slam champion Murray in the decisive set with depth and angle.
The eight-time champion will play for his record-tying 28th Masters crown tomorrow—and his first title of the season—when he takes on the winner on Gael Monfils tomorrow.
In an all French affair, the 13th-seeded Monfils broke serve six times thrashing No. 8-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 6-1, 6-3 in 69 minutes. Nadal is 11-2 lifetime against the 16th-ranked Frenchman and has not surrendered a set in four clay-court meetings with Monfils.
Outplayed for one set, Nadal adopted more aggressive court positioning and fired his forehand with greater ambition to turn this semifinal around.
The world No. 2 won the coin toss twice—chair umpire Damien Dumusois didn't hear him call tails the first time, the Scot requested a second toss and won that, too—then earned a break point in Nadal's opening service game and reached 0-30 in the Spaniard's second service game.
Playing his backhand down the line to Nadal's backhand, Murray gained triple break point in the sixth game. A floated forehand from Nadal gave the second seed the first break and a 4-2 lead.
The serve saved Murray from break-point problems in the next game. He zapped an ace out wide to save a break point and drew a backhand error to deny a second break point. Cracking a crosscourt backhand, Murray closed the longest game of the set for 5-2.
By the eighth game, the late-arriving crowd had completely filled the stadium and Murray was finding his comfort zone. An exquisite drop shot winner gave him set point and when Nadal flagged a forehand into the net, Murray had a one-set lead after 52 minutes. Murray more than doubled Nadal's winner output (13 to 5) in the opener.
After surging through the first set, Murray stumbled to start the second. His first double fault followed by a knifing backhand from Nadal gave the fifth seed his first break.
Rattling a framed backhand, Nadal stared down a third break point 63 minutes into the match. Murray targeted the two-handed backhand again drawing an error to break back for 1-all.
A pulsating corner-to-corner rally—one of the most electric exchanges of the day—ended with Nadal plastering a forehand winner helping him hold for 3-all.
Empowered, Nadal guessed right on the direction of a Murray smash, picked off the blast on the run and wristed a forehand pass to break in the seventh game.
Playing with more positive energy, the eight-time champion erased a pair of break points then laced an ace off the service line extending his lead to 5-3.
The ninth game was jam-packed with running rallies and remarkable gets by both men. Nadal hit a flicked forehand to extend one point and looked like a Jai alai player looping an over-the-shoulder forehand on another. After an eight-minute battle of a game, Murray finally held.
Timing the ball as efficiently as a stop watch and soaring for a few smashes, Nadal stamped a love hold to level the match on the strength of 16 winners in the set.
Swinging with more authority, Nadal slashed an inside-out forehand for triple break point at the two-hour mark. Murray fended off the first with a tremendous backhand stab volley. Backing up a second serve, he smacked a backhand winner crosscourt to save the second. But Nadal lofted a forehand drop shot for a third break point.
Defending at the start of the ensuing rally, Nadal wrenched control of the rally then left Murray spinning his wheels with another forehand drop shot winner opening the third set with a break.
By that point, Murray, who had been griping about Nadal's slower pace of play and was further annoyed when Nadal took a break to clear dust from his eye before the Scot served on a break point, looked ready to implode.
Powering through a love hold, Nadal reeled off eight straight points breaking for 4-1 as a cranky Murray smacked a ball in frustration after one error and spent the ensuing changeover debating chair umpire Damien Dumusois over the issue of if he deliberately tried hit the chair umpire's post in retaliation.
"You can disagree, but no respect I cannot accept that," Dumusois said.
"Don't just make some stuff up," Murray shot back. "I miss a shot and hit the ball directly into the net."
"You know exactly why you did it. I'm not stupid, Andy," Dumusois replied.
When you're directing more energy arguing with the chair umpire than engaging with the nine-time Roland Garros champion on the opposite side of the net, you know you're in trouble.
Hit with a time violation warning before serving on match point, Nadal sailed a forehand on his third match point. Murray fended off a fourth match point planting a backhand return on the sideline then earned a pair of break points. Nadal rose to the test and when his opponent netted a return, Uncle Toni Nadal stood up exhorting his nephew to finish the job.
A beautiful running forehand sent Nadal into his 100th career final. Avenging his straight-sets loss to the Scot in the 2015 Madrid final, Nadal raised his record to 17-6 against Murray, including a 7-1 mark on clay.