French Open 2014: Andy Murray survives mid-match stutter to oust Gael Monfils
Halfway through the match between Andy Murray and Gael Monfils, the local hope looked spent and consumed by his own desire to do well. But despite making a stirring comeback on the steam of some relentless support from the crowd, Murray managed to stave off the Frenchman and emerge victorious 6-4, 6-1, 4-6, 1-6, 6-0 in a three hour 15 minute marathon to reach the last four. Murray will play Rafael Nadal as he seeks to reach the finals at the French Open for the first time in his career.
Murray, dressed in a bright green vest and black shorts. made a confident start to his match as he gained an early opening at 15-40 in the second game. The Scot is a great exponent of the art of converting defense to offence and when Monfils wheeled back to take a high ball on the bounce, the Scot did just that to break serve for a 2-0 lead.
There was far too much variety in the Murray game – by the third game he had already made good use of his slice, the exquisitely timed drop shot and he was rolling his wrist over the forehand to generate a great deal of top spin – for Monfils to make much of an impact in the early going.
But this was France and the crowd was urging Monfils to lift his game. And he did just that showing great touch in picking a half volley off the ground for a silken drop shot as he took the third game to deuce. Still, that was not enough to prevent Murray from taking a 3-0 lead.
Monfils though kept his head over his shoulders. At 15-30 in the fifth game, Murray seemed to have an easy forehand winner, but he somehow managed to crash the ball into the net to offer two break points. Monfils took it by crunching a crosscourt forehand winner to pass Murray at the net and snatch the break back.
Eventually though it fell upon Monfils to serve to stay in the set, and that proved to be too much. A Murray forehand dipped viciously and Monfils could only manage to put it back into the net to offer a set point to the Scot. Even though he saved that one, Murray earned another and closed out the set with a ferocious forehand winner that skimmed the line.
The second set got off to a similar start, with Monfils failing to make much of an impression on Murray from the back of the court. Only this time, he was broken twice in a row as Murray ran up a 4-0 lead. Monfils was trying to out-slug Murray, seeking the safe shelter of the baseline, but it was leaving him vulnerable to the guile and variety of his opponent.
At 0-5 in the second set, Monfils showed great heart to claw his way back from 0-40 to save three set points and hold serve to avoid a bagel. But a forehand winner from the baseline earned Murray another set point, but a stretched Murray failed to control a backhand volley to fall to deuce in the seventh game.
Monfils even had a break point on Murray, but the Scot had his forehand serving him well. But Monfils brought some late fight and a ball that dropped from Murray’s shorts added to the drama. The ten minute game only ended after Murray converted his eighth set point with a hustle to the net and a backhand winner.
The shadows had already consumed the court and Monfils was running out of time to find a way back into the contest. Monfils showed tremendous resilience to hold serve in a hard fought first game, before pushing Murray to the mat at 0-40 in the next. But Murray did a fantastic job of pulling through to eventually hold his serve to 1-1.
After playing some uninspired tennis for the first two sets, Monfils seemed to rouse himself in the third. The games were all close affairs, but a break wasn’t to be found. At 4-5, Murray was serving to keep the set alive.
Monfils had two set points as Murray fell to 15-40, but the Scot saved both with some aggressive tennis. But soon Monfils would earn another point to take the set and this time Murray flails long to concede one to the Frenchman. An energized Monfiles roared and Chatrier offered more than even chorus.
The partisan crowd had energized a falling Monfils and now the Frenchman was using the energy well to claw his way back into the match. In the fourth game of the fourth set, Murray offered an opening with a pair of forehand errors and Monfils consolidated to gain a 4-1 lead.
Monfils earned a second break in the sixth game, clinching a nervy hustle at the net. Monfils earned three set points and cleaned up with a forehand winner to push the match into a fifth set.
Murray then sought the officials to see if they could shut down for the day due to poor light. Fortunately for the Scot, the officials disagreed and he raced away to victory, blanking Monfils in the 24 minute final set.
Murray won 25 of 33 forays to the net and converted 7 of 18 break points to clinch a very satisfying victory in his first grand slam after the return from back surgery.