Mubadala World Tennis Championship: Murray cruises past Evans to set up semifinal clash with Nadal
Andy Murray sealed his place in the semifinals of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship by winning an all-British encounter against Dan Evans.
The former World No. 1 entered the tournament as the lowest-ranked player and many expected his fiesty opponent to qualify. However, Murray put in a dominant performance to win 6-3, 6-2.
The Scot had a slightly rusty start and was two break-points down in the opening game. However, he held his nerve to go 1-0 up. After Evans took the second game, Murray found his rhythm and won four games in a row. The former World No. 1 was serving for the set at 5-1 but his opponent broke him before holding his serve.
Evans looked set to make a comeback but Murray saved a couple of break points to take the game, which lasted more than eight minutes, and the first set.
While the two-time Wimbledon champion seemed a little tired, his performance in the second set suggested otherwise. He once again broke early and went 3-0 up before Evans broke back. However, there was no stopping Murray today as he won the second set 6-2 to book his place in the semifinals.
.@Andy_Murray wins the ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐น๐ฒ ๐ข๐ณ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐.
His next opponent? @RafaelNadal ๐ฟ
#MWTC #MakeWayForTheBest https://t.co/aNtRDO75gy
Murray to take on old rival Nadal in the semifinals
Thanks to Andy Murray's dominant display, we will witness a sizzling matchup in the semifinals as the Scot takes on reigning champion Rafael Nadal. The two have faced each other on 24 occasions with the Spaniard leading 17-7.
Murray and Nadal have clashed twice at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship, with the Scot winning both. The first meeting between them was in the 2009 final, in which Murray came back to win from a set down. The second in 2015 was a one-sided affair which Murray won 6-2, 6-0.
Andy Murray had some promising moments in 2021 including beating Hubert Hurkacz and Jannik Sinner. He will be looking to stage a comeback next year and the ongoing tournament could be a good opportunity for him to show he still has some fuel in the tank.
Rafael Nadal's 2021 season was cut short by a foot injury and his ranking subsequently fell to sixth. The Spaniard's first match since returning will be against Murray and many will be hoping that the two will put on a good show. The last competitive fixture between the pair came over five years ago, in the semifinals of the Madrid Masters. Murray won that match in straight sets.
Many will consider Nadal the favorite to qualify for the final against either Andrey Rublev or Denis Shapovalov but Murray should not be underestimated, particularly after today's performance against an opponent ranked 109 spots above him.
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