By Chris Oddo | Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Rafael Nadal eased past Andy Murray and is on the cusp of reaching the semifinals in London.
Photo Source: CameraSport
It has taken eleven months but that fact will do nothing to dampen the enthusiasm in Rafael Nadal’s camp after he completed the takedown of Top-5 players in back-to-back matches for the first time in 2015.
Video: Murray Snips Hair at Changeover
On Wednesday Nadal eased past an out of sorts Andy Murray, 6-4, 6-1, opening up a tight match with a break in the final game of the first set and then completing a run that saw him win 20 of 25 points as he took a 3-0 lead in set two.
“I think I played well more or less the whole match,” said Nadal, who maintained a focused gameplan and spent a lot of time at or inside the baseline on Wednesday. “I am playing more inside [the baseline], I am working hard to make that happen.”
Nadal has always held sway over Murray but he was pounded by the Scot on his home soil in the Madrid final earlier this year. Murray wasn’t the only top player to have his way with Nadal in 2015—the Spaniard entered the World Tour Finals with a 1-7 run vs. the Top 5—but he has put his best foot forward this week in London, notching straight-sets wins over Stan Wawrinka on Monday and Murray today to inch closer to semifinal qualification at this prestigious year-end event.
Nadal will reach the semifinals at London if Stan Wawrinka can manage a set in today’s match vs. David Ferrer.
Nadal is a two-time finalist at the World Tour Finals and he improved his career record at the event to 15-11 with the win.
The Spaniard increasd his lead in the second set when Murray dumped a forehand into the net—one of his 29 unforced errors on the day—to hand Nadal a second break and a 5-1 lead.
In the final game Nadal would hold at 30, pummeling a clean crosscourt winner on his first match point to end affairs in one hour and 32 minutes.
Notes, Numbers, Tweets
Murray could have clinched the ATP’s No. 2 year-end ranking with a win today. The Scot will still finish No. 2 unless Federer rolls undefeated to the title.
Nadal improves to 16-6 lifetime over Murray. The rivals have only met four times in the last four years with Nadal taking three wins. Nadal has won 42 sets against just 21 for Murray in their H2H.
Nadal improves to 60-19 on the year and 29-11 on hard courts. The 19 overall losses are the most Nadal has suffered in his 14-year pro career.