John Isner had a set point against Andy Murray in the first set of their match at Rod Laver Arena. But that was as good as it got for the power-serving American.
Murray saved it with a soft, inviting backhand that Isner put wide. The Scot then went to claim a hugely impressive 7-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory that put the 22-year-old into the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the first time. Murray has yet to lose a set and, in this match he made just eight unforced errors. If he maintains this kind of form, he is going to cause serious trouble for any of the star-studded performers that lie in his path.
Statistics do not always tell the story of the match — but in this case they are stark. Everything hung on how many first serves the 6-foot-9 Isner could get in, and how well Murray could deal with the American’s second ball. Well, Isner hit 68 percent of first serves in, not quite as high as he would have wished, and won less than 70 percent of them. Tellingly, Isner won only 28 percent of the points off his second delivery.
That was because Murray piled on the pressure, not just with power, but, more importantly, with placement. Isner, quite rightly going on the attack once rallies developed, constantly had to dig out volleys from around his ankles whenever he did get to the net. As the match wore on, he began making more and more errors off his forehand — a weapon which turned into a liability as Murray changed pace and angles on him with unrelenting consistency.
Knowing how crucial it would be, Murray let out a scream of satisfaction when he secured the first set. Isner, who won the title in Auckland just before arriving in Melbourne, had been taken to five sets by Andreas Seppi in the first round and four exhausting sets by Gael Monfils in the third. There was no question that he would be the first to tire as the match progressed.
And so it proved. Murray was still eating up the court with Olympic-pace sprints as the match drew to its conclusion, the result of all that track training at Miami University in December. The Scot produced the shot of the match to break for 3-2 in the third set when he tore across his baseline in pursuit of a wide Isner return. Murray connected with unbelievable timing to send the ball back down the line across the high part of the net for a winner, bringing the crowd to its feet.
In the press conference, Bud Collins told Murray that he had reacted like a whirling dervish after winning that point. “Did I?” Murray smiled sheepishly. “I didn’t realize. I was just excited. It was obviously to get the break in the third set. I’d had chances in the first two service games and didn’t quite take them. So, yeah, I was happy with that.”
It was interesting how Murray assessed Isner’s game. “He can put a lot of spin on his second serve,” he said. “He varies it really well. He’s got a big forehand from the back of the court. Actually makes a lot of balls, so it’s tricky.”
That may be true, but it was the second serve and the forehand that Murray handled with such efficiency that Isner’s game was completely nullified. It was a tough examination for the University of Georgia grad, but he will learn from it and continue, hopefully, with the considerable overall improvement that has been evident in his game over the past few months.
