2011 BNP Paribas Open: Andy Murray upset by qualifier in first match
World Number 5 Andy Murray was ousted in his opening match at the 2011 BNP Paribas Open, giving up his Indian Wells campaign to qualifier Donald Young in straight sets 7-6(4), 6-3.
The Scottish player was seeded fifth at the event, and received a first-round bye due to his high ranking. He was expected to clear his first match with no trouble, despite the fact that he has been playing very mediocre tennis
in the last few weeks. However, Great Britain’s Number 1 player shocked and surprised both spectators and analysts by going down to American player and World Number 143 Donald Young in straight sets.
Murray seemed skittish and clumsy during the match, squandering service breaks throughout. He was also unable to defend four of five break points, while his opponent was only broken twice. Despite the fact that he scored eight
aces, Murray could not stay in form long enough to seriously challenge Young throughout the match.
He spoke to press after the match, saying, “I started the match well and then when it got close to the end of the first set I just didn’t do anything particularly well. I didn’t do anything to really lift myself. He [Donald Young]
started playing better. I didn’t find my way back into the match.”
The British pro seems to have lost heart after his spectacular start to the season, when he kicked off his 2011 campaign with wins over players such as Jurgen Melzer and David Ferrer at the Australian Open. He reached the title
match against Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic without dropping a set, but lost the final against the World Number 3 in straight sets.
Murray took half a month off after this loss, rejoining the tour in February at the Rotterdam event. However, it seems as if he was still feeling the after-effects of his Sydney loss; the player was ousted in straight sets in the
first round by World Number 22 Marcos Baghdatis.
This is the first time that Murray has played in a month, and it seems as if he is still not ready to compete again. This is the seventh consecutive set and the third straight match which he has lost in 2011, which is considerably
poor for a Top Five player.
Meanwhile, former junior champion Donald Young seems pleased with his performance in the second round, saying, “I’ve been in this position a couple of times and hadn’t won the match. I just told myself this time I was going to
see it through and not let the nerves get the best of me.” He will face World Number 28 Tommy Robredo in the third round of the tournament.
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