By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, September 19, 2015
Andy Murray and Jamie Murray fought off Sam Groth and Lleyton Hewitt in a five-set thriller putting Great Britain one win away from a return to the Davis Cup final.
Photo credit: British Tennis
Match point had come and gone, their fifth-set lead dissipated and frayed nerves were starting to show like small scars.
The Murray brothers responded to all that mayhem locking eyes, closing ranks and bolting down the frontcourt.
Backed by a raucous Glasgow crowd, Andy Murray and Jamie Murray beat back a spirited challenge from Sam Groth and Lleyton Hewitt grinding out a dramatic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-4 triumph that puts Great Britain one win away from its first Davis Cup final since 1978.
More: Murray Mauls Kokkinakis
The crucial doubles match was a topsy-turvy thrill ride of wild momentum shifts, abrupt lead changes, pulsating all-court rallies nervous misses and exceptional shotmaking from all four players.
The brothers withstood both a fired-up Aussie team and their own frustration.
Andy Murray served for the match at 6-5 in the fourth set, but was broken. The Murrays failed to convert match point at 6-5 in the tie break as Australia rallied to force a fifth set. The Aussies fought back from 0-3 down in the fifth, but the Murray brothers would not be denied.
"It was obviously an incredible match," Andy Murray told Annabel Croft afterward. "To come back from the disappointment of losing that fourth set, obviously serving for it and match point in the tie break, they came up with some great tennis to get back into it. We kept creating chances. We kept fighting hard. We stuck together like brothers should."
A critical victory puts Andy Murray in position to clinch Great Britain's trip to the final. The world No. 3 takes on Australian No. 1 Bernard Tomic in tomorrow's first reversal singles match. Murray has not dropped a set to the 23rd-ranked Aussie in two prior meetings.
The two-time Grand Slam champion played dynamic tennis permitting just six games dismissing frequent practice partner Thanasi Kokkinakis in the opening match on Friday. Murray owns a 24-2 Davis Cup singles record. Prevailing after a physically draining and emotionally depleting three hour, 56-minute victory today, Murray must recover and reload in time for Tomic tomorrow.
The combination of the Groth, the fastest server in the sport, and Hewitt, still one of the game's most accurate returners, was in sync as the pair saved all five break points taking the 40-minute opening set.
Left-hander Jamie Murray's full stretch forehand down the middle helped the brothers break Groth for a 4-2 second-set lead. Andy Murray served out the set to level.
The Aussies broke Andy Murray's opening service game of the third set, eventually extending their lead to 4-1. Serving at 4-2, Hewitt hit a serve on the sideline that was called out initially and was over-ruled by Hawk-Eye. Replaying the point, a Jamie Murray lob helped create break point. Andy Murray put a return at Hewitt's feet as Great Britain pulled out a frenetic game filled with some exciting all-court exchanges to break for 3-4. A flying smash from a poaching Jamie Murray sealed another break for 5-4 before Andy Murray served out the third set.
Australia used a Jamie Murray double fault and Hewitt volley to break for a 2-0 fourth-set lead. The Brits broke right back on the strength of a Jamie Murray crossing volley. Andy Murray slide a pair of aces down the middle as Britain leveled 2-all.
The fourth set escalated into a series of wild plot twists. Staring down triple set point at 4-5, Jamie Murray dug in and denied all three set points. That stand gave Britain a boost of energy as it broke for 6-5.
Serving for the match, Andy Murray two points from closure at 30-0, but Hewitt lifted his level and delivered. The former No. 1 pasted a backhand down the middle as Australia broke back to force the tie break.
An acrobatic lunging stab volley from Andy Murray left open space, but Hewitt found the net instead of the court. After three hours, 10 minutes the Murray brothers held match point at 6-5.
Hewitt challenged Andy Murray's strength with a deep second serve, the world No. 3 tried to hammer a crosscourt return, but Groth picked it off spiking a backhand volley down the middle to deny match point. Two points later, Hewitt laced a backhand bolt down the middle and danced to his seat fired up for a fifth set.
Shaking off the missed match point, the brothers refocused and responded with an eight-point surge breaking Groth at love before Jamie held at love for a 3-0 lead.
That was a prelude to a three-game charge from the green-and-gold. Groth, who was unsettled at net during the early stages of the set, found another gear to his game fighting off four break points to hold for 3-3.
Serving at 4-5 the pressure was right back on Groth's shoulders. Andy Murray pierced the middle with a forehand winner 15-30 then pained the sideline with a backhand return for two more match points. Jamie Murray put a low ball at Groth's shoelaces, he lifted his volley long and the brothers embraced.
"We kept fighting. Obviously we kind of let it slip a bit in the fourth set, which was a bit frustrating," Jamie Murray said. "We got right back on it. We fought as hard as we could and that's all we could ask ourselves. In sport, you're never in control of the result but if you do your best that's all we could do."