Andy Murray and Roger Federer into semi-finals of Shanghai Masters
Andy Murray booked his place into the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters after beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-2, 6-2 in 55 minutes.
The British No.1 was in total control after breaking Tsonga early in the first set and cruised to the win. Murray won 80% of points on his serve and did not face a break point. Having secured his place at the season finale Barclays ATP Tour World Finals at the O2 Arena in London, it was his third straight win over Tsonga.
“I played well today,” said Murray. “I've been pretty focused the last couple of matches. [I] got off to a good start, which is important against him [as] he's a really good frontrunner. But he struggled a little bit on his serve. From my side, I served well [and] didn't give him any chances. I was hitting the ball really clean from the back of the court.”
World No.12 Tsonga had been away from the game for three months due to a knee injury, and never looked liked troubling Murray. Murray also said he has made an improvement to his forehand. “I am stringing my rackets tighter,” he said.
“Normally the tighter the racket the more control you have and less power but I feel more comfortable swinging through the ball and giving it a crack. It doesn't travel as far and I feel I can go for it a lot more and that has made a difference,” he added.
Murray will now meet Juan Monaco, who defeated Rafael Nadal’s conqueror Jurgen Melzer 6-7 (8), 7-5, 6-2 in under three hours. Murray is anticipating a good game against the Argentine.
“I've played [him] a couple of times. I used to practise with him a lot in Spain, so we both know each other's games well. It can be difficult playing someone you know, but it's nice if you do get the chance,” said Murray.
World No.2 Novak Djokovic also booked his place in the semi-finals after overcoming Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-2, 6-3. In-form Garcia-Lopez had won 10 out of his last 12 matches and collected his second ATP Tour title a fortnight ago, but couldn’t match the Serbian’s play, who won 69% of his service points.
“[I] felt great on the court today,” said Djokovic. “Garcia Lopez has been playing some good tennis in last couple of weeks, beating Nadal in Bangkok.
“I was aware of his speed on the court. He hits the ball really well from the baseline. He made me work for the points. Even though it looked comfortable at two and three, I had to really be aware of the speed of the ball that was coming from the other side of the net,” he added.
Roger Federer followed Murray and Djokovic by beating his nemesis Robin Söderling in straight sets in under 54 minutes. The Swiss star romped to a 6-1, 6-1 win over the Swede, winning 72% of his serves.
The win for Federer puts him a step closer to being crowned champion at the end of the week following Nadal’s exit, but he has a tough match against Djokovic, a repeat of the epic US Open semi-final where Djokovic won in a five set thriller, up next.
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