Andy Murray trounces Alexandr Dolgopolov to enter quarters – Shanghai Rolex Masters 2012
Olympic champion, Andy Murray from Great Britain, dismissed the Ukrainian number one, Alexandr Dolgopolov, in straight sets at the Shanghai Rolex Masters 2012 on Thursday. He juggled up a 6-2, 6-2 victory against the world number 20 to charge into the quarter-finals
at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Masters 1000 event held in Shanghai, China.
Seeded third in this event, Murray stayed on course to capture his fourth year-to-date title after outshining the Ukrainian in just under an hour. After recording this victory, the Brit improved to a 4-0 lifetime in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head Series against
the 23-year-old and powered into the final eight at this outdoor hard court event.
Murray, who is coming from a semi-final showing at the Rakuten Open, stated in a post match press conference:
"I think I did a decent job. It's very, very different conditions to last week. I just tried to stay solid and not go for the lines too much early on. I tried to keep the ball low. He's very explosive when the ball's up around his shoulders. Just tried to
keep the ball low, play solid, and I served well."
The 25-year-old made a storming entry at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena. He drew the first blood in the third game and jumped to a 3-1 lead. After the Ukrainian kept his serve in the fifth game, Murray pocketed the last three games and sealed the set
with a 6-2 success.
Ranked third in the world, Murray kept momentum rolling in the following set. He got the desiderated break in the third game and took a 2-1 lead. Apart from levelling the scores in the very next game, the Brit unleashed flurry of powerful groundstrokes and
went on a four-game rampage. He failed to block the lone breakpoint he encountered but cashed all three break opportunities to earn the glory.
The reigning US Open champion, Murray will square off against Czech Republic’s Radek Stepanek who upset eighth seeded John Isner in three sets to reach this spot.
The Dunblane, Scotland native reflected about his next match-up:
"He's incredibly quick and flexible. He has a very different game style to a lot of the guys now. He's a character on the court, as well... I'll need to make sure I'm focused and patient and take care of my side of the court tomorrow."
Stepanek also send 11th seeded Richard Gasquet home in his second round match.
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