By Alberto Amalfi | Friday, April 28, 2017
Andy Murray broke Albert Ramos-Vinolas when he served for the match rallying for a 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4) win that sent him into the Barcelona semifinals.
Photo credit: Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell Facebook
Masters champion and tennis junkie Sergio Garcia joined the packed crowd collectively leaning forward on nearly every swing as Albert Ramos-Vinolas served for the match against Andy Murray at 5-4 in the final set.
Staring down his second defeat in a week to the Spanish lefty, a gritty Murray created wiggle room for a comeback.
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The world No. 1 relied on his fast feet, stiff resistance and survival skills squeezing past Ramos-Vinolas, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4), in a physical three-hour test that sent him into the Barcelona semifinals.
Murray avenged last week’s Monte-Carlo loss to Ramos-Vinolas when he blew a 4-0 lead in the final set set, falling 2-6, 6-2, 7-5.
The 29-year-old Ramos-Vinolas rode that winning wave all the way to his first Masters final before bowing to Rafael Nadal.
Firing his lefty forehand into the corners with ambition, Ramos-Vinolas was aggressive at the right times in the opening set. Exploiting the Scot’s atrocious 35 percent first-serve percentage, Ramos Vinolas broke twice cruising to a one-set lead.
Staring down triple break point in the ninth game of the second set, Murray made a defiant stand to turn the match around.
A slick high backhand volley followed by a scrambling forehand down the line erased the first two break points. Ramos-Vinolas bungled a smash as a stubborn Murray held fro 5-4.
Murray fought off all five break points he faced in the second set and converted his lone break point in the next game to force a final set.
The world No. 19 broke and served for the match at 5-4. Ramos-Vinolas looked jittery though and Murray dug in to break right back.
The world No. 1, who had been chirping at chair umpire Carlos Bernardes over a ball mark he felt Bernardes missed earlier in the set, came through a tense hold for 6-5. Ramos-Vinolas dipped a subtle drop shot winner to force the tie break.
Directing his attack at the left-hander’s two-handed backhand, Murray won four straight points to open the decisive tie break.
Ripping a return for the first mini-break, Murray slid a shot down the line drawing a stretched error for a second mini break and 3-0 lead.
Two hours and 57 minutes into the match, Murray slid a serve winner wide to stop his slide then surprised his opponent with a serve-and-volley placing a forehand volley into the open court for three match points.
Showing no sign of nerves, the Spaniard moved forward for a forehand volley to save the first match point.
Murray short-armed a few forehands trying to draw the baseliner back in and when Ramos Vinolas sailed a backhand the three-hour struggle was over.
The reigning Wimbledon champion will play Dominic Thiem in a battle of outstanding backhands with a spot in the final on the line.
Contesting his seventh quarterfinal of the season, the fourth-seeded Thiem thrashed weary lucky loser Yuichi Sugita, 6-1, 6-2, in a match that spanned just 52 minutes.
Thiem raised his record to 21-9 on the season, including a 9-1 clay-court mark.
Murray has won both of his prior meetings with the 23-year-old Austrian though Thiem has pushed him to three sets in both matches. This will be their first meeting on clay, which is Thiem’s best surface.