Janko Tipsarevic stuns Andy Murray on day one in Abu Dhabi – Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2012
A stunning outcome was witnessed on the opening day of Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi, as the reigning world number three, Andy Murray, stooped to the crafty game play of the Serbian number two, Janko Tipsarevic.
The 2012 US Open champion’s voyage at this exhibition event lasted for barely 84 minutes before the world number nine registered a thumping 6-3, 6-4, win to reach the semi-final round.
It was hardly expected by anyone that Murray would fall this cheaply to a lower ranked opponent. The British number one has been in prime form this year, winning his maiden Olympics gold medal and Grand Slam title. He is expected
to claim the Australian Open title next month but his rusty performance in Abu Dhabi greatly disappointed his fans. Although it was merely an exhibition match, the level of play Murray displayed was not up to the standards of a world number three player. His
stroke making was quite wayward, so was his return game. Tipsarevic kept playing his natural aggressive game and cruised through both sets to register a huge upset.
"I hit the ball pretty well, it was just the execution of some of my shots wasn't perfect, but that's pretty normal when you have not played a match for a while," said Murray in the post match interview.
Tipsarevic added: "I am happy with my game. I know it is an exhibition game but to play a Grand Slam champion and an Olympic Games gold medal winner and win, I am just delighted. I hope to get two more victories and that would
be great going into the Australian Open."
Tipsarevic’s victory over Murray will surely be a huge confidence booster for the upcoming season and he will commence his 2013 campaign at a high note. The Serbian has been in the Top-10 men’s rankings since the end of 2011 and
is labouring hard to improve his rankings further. He will take on the world number 11, Nicolas Almagro, in the semi-final round of Mubadala World Tennis Championship on Friday evening. Almagro has replaced Rafael Nadal after the King of Clay pulled out of
the event due to stomach problem.
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