Australian Open: Day Four - 2014

First topic message reminder :

http://www.ausopen.com/en_AU/scores/schedule/schedule9.html

Kokkinakis v Nadal, with the assumption that the second AUS will put up a better match than Tomic.

JwT can get in trouble against Bellucci.

Kavcic has more experience than Duckworth and may take a set of the Old Man.

Kyrgios Sock v Monfils should be entertaining (IMO).

Paire v Krygios. Would love to see Krygios go further.

MoTD - Verdasco v Gabashvili (anyone recall his [Gabashvili, not Nando's 2009 AO] match against Nadal @ USO?)

gah, Simon just fails to complete the most remarkable set turnaround ever, as Cilic breaks back to force a tie-break in the third. Still a chance though, allez Gillou!

Murray takes the second set and leads 6-2 6-2. Has he ever had such a lead and yet looked so out of sorts? I cannot remember such a time.

Gillou

Cilic takes the third set. Surely Simon doesn't have it in his legs for another five set match? Murray/Millot going with serve early in the third set.

Millot breaks and Murray's malaise continues. Murray leads 6-2 6-2 1-3.

Vamos Delpo! 3rd set! I want to see Delpo play Rafa! If not then I want him to get far and Monfils to take rafa out

Millot's tactic of swinging at everything seems to be working for the moment, and he races into a 4-1 lead in the third set.

Lopez through in straight sets. Del Potro back ahead by two sets to one. Not good from Murray - Millot fed crumbs of hope and he snaffles them up and leads 4-1 in the third set. This sort of performance tells me why I was saying pre-tournament a quarter-final spot would be a good result here.

Problem is MfC Murray is swinging at nothing. Has to be his back.

Uncomfortable viewing this as a Murray supporter and very hard to explain.

Millot continues to paint the lines, and breaks again for 5-1 as Murray plonks a limp BH into the net.

I think it's more lack of match practise than his back, he hasn't seemed in any great discomfort, but when your opponent suddenly starts just swinging and hoping and making every shot it must be very disconcerting (especially if you haven't played many matches).

Millot rather gifts a break back but he still leads 5-2. Not sure what to put this Murray performance down to? Sheer lethargy, match rustiness or hindered by a back injury.

Lethargy seems a good bet. In this game he looks fired up and playing more purposefully and at a higher level. It is like he has lacked motivation. Murray breaks again to pull it back to 4-5.

match rustiness and lethargy, but he's gotten going now. Millot must have done something to upset him, that usually wakes him up. Millot's tactics couldn't continue working forever, and he smacks a BH into the net to give up the second of his two breaks. Murray on a roll.

Simon is a gutsy player. He is now 5-1 up and looks set to square it up at two sets all against Cilic.

I think he was riled by Millot encouraging the crowd to shout louder for him. Murray back to 5-5 from 1-5 down.

Murray breaks to love to lead 6-5 and from nowhere will serve for the match.

amazing what difference a few minutes make. Murray rattles off another love game (is that something like four or five in a row now?) and will serve for the match at 6-5. I think you're right CC, Millot trying to get the crowd going woke him up, and he's been a different player these last 15 minutes.

On the stroke of midnight in Melbourne Murray seals a 6-2 6-2 7-5 win. Only Andy knows what was up tonight.

I think it was this. He got a twinge/pain in his back which put him into his shell. He tried to win conservatively without stressing his back and lethargy set in. He finally clicked into gear when fired up by Millot's antics and this in turn upped his level.

Well, the real Andy Murray eventually turned up, reeling off 23 points in a row to turn round a 1-5 deficit to a 7-5 win in the 3rd.Before that he just seemed to be going through the motions.

it's a funny one, and reminds me of a personnal story. I play cricket with this guy who used to be a decent tennis pro: good doubles player, won a few tournaments (played a few times with Santoro), but never quite good enough to crack the singles circuit. He did however play Boris Becker once. Now he told me he played well early on, and was keeping the score tight (I think until 4-4 or so in the first), but then made the mistake when winning an important point (possibly to hold for 4-4) of sort of eyeballing Becker across the net and doing the fist pump thing. At this point, Becker looked at him, simply shook his head, and promptly won 8 of the next 9 games to win 6-4 6-1.

Today felt similar for me, once Millot had to an extent woken Murray up, Murray showed the true difference in class between the two. Before that, he was sort of drifting through the game, knowing I think deep down that he could take Millot apart whenever he wanted to.

Simon breaks early in the fifth set against Cilic and looks set to seal another five set win. The winner of this match, I believe, will play Tsonga in the next round.

Impressive second set set TB by Kyrgios, up 2 sets on Paire. If he keeps his head together, he should win this in three.

Kyrgios takes the second set on a tie-break to lead Paire 7-6 7-6. Del Potro sniffing a decisive fourth set service break.

Kyrgios moves into a two set lead against Paire as the Frenchman tries an improbable drop shot at set point down which Kyrgios gobbles up. An upset on the cards? the crowd right behind the Aussie, as would be expected.

Gabshvili levels at two sets all against Verdasco. Winner of that takes on Federer next.

Agut hangs on to hold serve and then promptly sets about pressuring the Del Potro serve.

And Agut hits a sweet winner to break and will serve for the fourth set.

when isn't Verdasco in a fire fight? He's good value while he's in a tournament, I must say

Agut holds serve to level at two sets all with almost three hours played. Del Potro will have to dig deep here as Agut is going through a purple patch.

there are now three matches currently into a fifth set, cracking stuff

Simon on the brink of a five set win against Cilic.

Gillou

my new hero

If Simon and Fer Ver can just see this through - I'm buying myself some sneakers and an amplifier with my winnings

Simon wraps up another five set win.

Bautista Agut was one of my responses in the "what's the highest ranked player you've never heard of" thread.

Consider me aware of him now!

Verdasco, I'm in tears right now

I can't believe he served four double faults in one game. what a mental capitulation. he should have worked on his fitness

Gilles      

VAMOS FerVer!!!!! Breaks back. 4*-5 in the final - Verdasco serving to stay in it.

Verdasco breaks serve to stay in the match. Back on serve at 4-5. Paire takes the third set to extend his match against Kyrgios.

Just noticed Paire is still playing... And losing (no clue how I missed it) - Even if Verdasco wins... I might still lose!!

Verdasco falls to Gabashvili in five sets. Two matches still ongoing at almost 1am in Melbourne.

oh no... kingraf will not be happy

Verdasco is out - eighteen double faults in one match? His career could have been so different had he had steadier hands. So could my car.

18 doubles from Verdasco. Hard to win matches when you are basically gifting 4.5 service games.

This Del Potro/Bautista Agut turning into a thriller and there is a bit of needle between these two. Both players playing very well now and it goes with serve in the fifth with Del boy leading 4-3.

Perhps nando should just get em all out of the way in 1 set, and scream through the next 3... anyway Gabba now gets a go at the Express, though I doubt he'l halt the train for too long. Tsonga however could.

Also Simon