By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, September 18, 2015
Andy Murray mauled practice partner Thanasi Kokkinakis, 6-3, 6-0, 6-3 giving Great Britain a 1-0 lead over Australia in the Davis Cup semifinals.
Photo credit: British Tennis
Knowledge is power. Andy Murray used his insight to dismantle Thanasi Kokkinakis in a devastating Davis Cup performance.
Striking with conviction, Murray schooled the Aussie teenager, 6-3, 6-0, 6-3, to stake Great Britain to a 1-0 lead over Australia in the Davis Cup semifinals at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow.
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The 28-year-old Murray was born in Glasgow and sent hometown fans into an eruption of exultation raising his Davis Cup singles record to 24-2.
Australian No. 1 Bernard Tomic evened the tie defeating No. 300 Dan Evans, 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-7 (4), 6-4, in the second singles match.
The frequent practice partners and sometime doubles partners know each other's strengths and tendencies well from hours sharing the court together. Murray was often reading the direction of Kokkinakis' drives with the accuracy of a man reviewing a blue print on point construction.
Knowing Kokkinakis prefers hitting his forehand from the left of the center stripe, Murray repeatedly slashed his two-handed backhand down the line exposing a gap in the lanky Adelaide native's defense.
Murray hit 17 of his 42 winners from his versatile backhand, broke serve six times and never faced a break point in a commanding performance.
"It's a huge match to start off the tie," Murray told Annabel Croft in his on-court interview. "I managed to put on a good performance. The crowd was absolutely excellent first ball to last."
The same was true of the man they were cheering.
Murray didn't lay out the welcome mat for his friend; he seemed to shrink the size of the blue court to a welcome mat giving Kokkinakis no space to create and little time to operate.
Earning break points in the teenager's opening service games, Murray relentlessly pressured serve, cut off the angles and suffocated a 19-year-old opponent playing just his fourth Davis Cup match.
Kokkinakis fought off five break points in his first three service games. On the sixth, Murray banged a backhand that handcuffed his opponent. Kokkinakis' forehand sailed concluding a seven-minute game and giving Murray the break and a 4-2 lead.
The third-seeded Scot smacked an ace wide backing up the break with a love hold. Stretching Kokkinakis with the wide serve in both boxes, Murray effectively set up his first strike. Murray smacked another wide ace closing the 44-minute first set with a bang.
"I was hitting the ball cleanly right from the beginning," Murray said. "I had break points in his first couple of service games, didn't get them, but I was putting him under pressure there. Once I managed to get the break, I settled down. I didn't give him any opportunities on my serve. I was really aggressive, went for my shots and made it very tough for him."
That ace on the final point of the first set ignited a seven-game spree. Murray tore through the second set winning 12 of 13 points on serve dispensing a bagel in just 25 minutes and sending home fans into a frenzy.
A jarring backhand return gave Murray the break and a 2-1 third-set lead. Fittingly, he finished the one hour, 47-minute match ripping one final backhand winner crosscourt.
It was an impressive win and, more importantly, an efficient one.
Permitting just six games, Murray did not expend too much energy and could be called into doubles duty tomorrow. Older brother Jamie Murray and Dominic Inglot are scheduled to face Australia's Lleyton Hewitt and Sam Groth. Andy Murray, who partnered Jamie to a four-set win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Nicolas Mahut in the Davis Cup quarterfinals in July, knows he may well have to produce all three points if Great Britain is to advance to its first Davis Cup final since 1978.
"It's different being part of the team and representing your country," Murray said. "It's always a proud moment every single time. I love it. And I've always performed my best when I've played for my country. Hopefully, I can do the same throughout the rest of the weekend."