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By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, June 3, 2015

 
Andy Murray

Andy Murray defeated David Ferrer for the first time on clay to set up a Roland Garros semifinal against Novak Djokovic, a rematch of the Australian Open final.

Photo credit: Philippe Montigny/FFT

Streaks of skid marks across the red clay were remnants of the power struggle and ultimate upheaval. On a day in which Novak Djokovic dethroned the King of Clay, Andy Murray deposed his personal clay-court ruler.

Winless in four prior clay-court matches with David Ferrer, Murray served with ambition and did the dirty work required to grind down the seventh-seeded Spaniard, 7-6 (4), 6-2, 5-7, 6-1, and advance to the French Open final four.

Video: Nadal Says Djokovic Was Better Than Me

The victory makes Murray the first British man to reach three Roland Garros semifinals and only the sixth man in the Open Era to contest the final four at all four Grand Slams on three or more occasions.

The semifinal between world No. 1 Djokovic and the third-seeded Murray is a rematch of the Australian Open final and clash of players with perfect 15-0 clay-court records in 2015.

Court Philippe Chatrier could be a red-clay cauldron as temperatures are expected to exceed 90 degrees. Murray has wilted at times losing seven straight matches to Djokovic, who holds an 18-8 advantage in their head-to-head history.

"It's gonna be an extremely tough match and I hope it's a good one," Murray said in his on-court interview with Fabrice Santoro afterward. "I hope I can play a high-quality match. I know I'm going to need to do that. It's going to be very, very difficult and I'm going to need as much support as I can get in that match."

Playing with precision, Djokovic dismantled nine-time champion Rafael Nadal, 7-5, 6-3, 6-1, snapping Nadal's streak of 39 straight French Open victories while stretching his winning streak to 27 matches in surging to his 26th Grand Slam semifinal.

Facing his old nemesis Ferrer, this was a calmer Murray than the sometime ornery version, who once punctuated transgressions punching his racquet face, barking at his support box or screaming frustrations into his hand.

Three times Murray was up a break in the opening set and three times Ferrer fought back to level. Undeterred, Murray charged to a 6-1 lead in the tie break. Ferrer fended off three set points before Murray closed the 68-minute set with a slick backhand volley on his fourth set point.


Down triple break point early in the second set, Murray dug in and denied them. He built on that stiff stand breaking Ferrer for a 3-1 second-set lead. Murray hit nine aces and won 78 percent of his first-serve points. Standing well inside the baseline to return Ferrer's second serve, he drew 11 double faults from the Spaniard and won 65 percent of Ferrer's second-serve points.

Mixing his slithering one-handed slice backhand with the thumping two-handed, Murray spread the court beautifully breaking for a 2-0 third-set lead.

As a frustrated Ferrer complained to chair umpire Jack Garner that photographers sitting behind the court were snapping photos disrupting his service motion, it seemed the Scot was on the verge of turning the match into a selfie. A stubborn Ferrer fought through that service game then broke when Murray netted a bail-out drop shot.

A double fault and a smash that sailed wide put Ferrer in a 0-30 hole in eighth game. Murray yelled out "no" while striking a backhand he thought would sail out, but the shot struck the baseline. Garner immediately called a hindrance and Murray lost a point that could have given him triple break point. Ferrer took advantage and held.

Serving at 4-5, Ferrer fought off a match point with a smash then hit a brilliant drop volley winner to hold. Ruing opportunity lost, Murray double-faulted for just the second time all day then put his trusty two-hander into the middle of the net. Ferrer broke for 6-5 and stepped up to serve for the set while enthusiastic fans in Court Lenglen erupted in the wave.

Ferrer gave fans a lot more to roar about dancing around a backhand slashing a forehand winner to take the third set extending a match that was nearly over minutes earlier.

"I was obviously frustrated at the end of the third set," Murray said. "The groundsmen watered the court and I went to the bathroom to take a few minutes to relax and get my composure back and that helped. It's very dififcult to play a fourth set when you've lost a match point [in the third set]."



Murray wore Ferrer down in the fourth set, winning all 13 points on his first serve and tormenting his opponent's flagging serve.

Another shaky second serve from Ferrer strayed giving his opponent double break point in his first service game fo the fourth set. Shifting from defense to offense with a single swing, Murray drove a backhand pass to break for 2-0 celebrating with a triple fist pump. Sliding an ace, Murray backed up the break for 3-0.

Three hours and 15 minutes into this physical baseline skirmish a weary Ferrer fought off another match point holding for 1-5 to delay the inevitable. Murray cranked a service winner wide to close one nemesis and must now break a losing stride against another to reach his first French Open final.


 

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