By Alberto Amalfi | Saturday, September 17, 2016
"We're closer than we were at the beginning of the day and I still think we can come back," said Andy Murray after partnering brother Jamie to doubles victory.
Photo credit: Davis Cup Facebook
Growing up in Scotland, Andy Murray and older brother Jamie Murray were devoted wrestling fans who would throw each other around their room wrestling for mythical titles represented by home-made belts.
Grappling with a major Davis Cup deficit, the Murray brothers joined forces today pinning down a 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Juan Martin del Potro and Leonardo Mayer to keep the defending Davis Cup champions in this semifinal tie.
The Murrays cut Argentina's lead to 2-1 in the best-of-five match Davis Cup semifinal at Glasgow's Emirates Arena in an emotional must-win.
Davis Cup: Del Potro Outduels Murray in Five-Hour Epic
Andy Murray blocked a high volley winner to end two hour, 18-minute triumph and keep British hopes alive.
"Amazing, amazing match," Andy Murray said afterward. "Yesterday was a very tough day. To come out and get the win with Jamie today was great. He played unbelievably well throughout the whole match. Obviously still 2-1 down is a tough position to be in. But we're closer than we were at the beginning of the day and I still think we can come back."
The match pitted the pure power of del Potro and Mayer from the baseline against the Murray brothers fast reflexes and sharp angles at net.
Down a break at 3-4 in the third set, the brothers rallied reeling off three straight games to take a two sets to one lead.
"For me, to play with my brother in front of a Scottish crowd it is quite emotional," a teary-eyed Jamie Murray said. "It's exciting for me that Juan Martin played the match. For me to play against the best players in the world, those guys hit it so hard from the baseline it's kind of difficult to volley and judge the ball.
"Andy returned amazing. We're back in the tie. Tomorrow's a new day and we'll be going as hard as we can to get the two rubbers we need."
In tomorrow's opening reverse singles, Andy Murray will try to level the tie.
The Wimbledon champion is scheduled to face Guido Pella though Argentine captain Daniel Orsanic is expected to opt for the fresh legs of 41st-ranked Federico Delbonis to face Murray.
The left-handed Delbonis defeated Murray on hard court in Indian Wells last March.
Fighting from 1-4 down in the decisive set, Delbonis leveled then won five consecutive points in the tie break capping a dramatic 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (3) victory over an erratic Murray.
"I think he moved better than what I thought," Murray said of Delbonis after that loss. "I found it difficult to hit many winners, you know, and a lot of times I felt like I was hitting good shots and he was tracking them down and defending well. But I knew that he liked these conditions.
"Obviously the ball bounces up high like on the clay courts and it's lively, so when you play with heavy topspin, you know, it suits that style a bit here. I expected him to be tough, for sure. But he moved better than maybe what I expected."
The 49th-ranked Pella defeated Kyle Edmund on Friday to stake Argentina to a 2-0 lead.
If Murray, who suffered his first Davis Cup singles defeat on home soil to del Potro yesterday, wins his singles to level the tie tomorrow, then British captain Leon Smith has a decision to make.
Which British player has the best shot to topple 2009 US Open champion del Potro? Edmund, who was the hero of Team GB's quarterfinal upset of Serbia in Belgrade, or Dan Evans, who does not possess the power of Edmund, but is a quicker player with a more versatile game?
Both Murray brothers read the court well. Their court sense helped close the third set.
Sensing Mayer pinching the middle on set point, Andy Murray bolted a backhand return winner down the line, breaking del Potro's serve and giving Great Britain a two sets to one lead. The brothers broke midway through the fourth set and never looked back.
Del Potro, who owns wins over world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Stan Wawrinka this summer, will be a strong favorite in the fifth match, but will also face the physical challenge of playing his third match in three days.