Muller/Murray edge past Bogomolov Jr/Gulbis into the quarterfinals – Farmers Classic 2011
Luxembourger/British team of Gilles Muller and Jamie Murray bounced back after losing the opening set to defeat Alex Bogomolov Jr. of USA and Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 3-6, 6-3, 13-11 in the first round at the Farmers Classic in
Los Angeles on Wednesday. The match lasted for an hour and fifteen minutes.
Muller and Murray drew the first blood as they broke the American/Latvian team in the third game of the opening set and held their serve in the next game to go ahead 3-1. The Luxembourger/British team could not capture even a single
game after that, losing five consecutive games and getting broken in the sixth and eighth game to go down 3-6.
Bogomolov Jr. and Gulbis fired 71 percent of the first serves and two aces in the first set. The American/Latvian pair won majority of the points on the first serve, claiming sixteen of the twenty first service points. They lost
most of the points on the second serve, claiming just two of the eight second service points in the first set. While, Muller and Murray hit 67 percent of the first serves, grabbing 63 percent of the points on them. The Luxembourger/British pair had a horrible
second serve conversion rate as they managed to bag only one point on the second serve in the opening set.
In a similar fashion to the first set, Muller and Murray took an early lead in the second set, breaking the American/Latvian duo in the second game and holding their serve in the next game to grab a 3-0 lead. However, this time
they did not allow their opponents to stage a comeback and won all their service games to serve out the set at 5-3.
The Luxembourger/British combination delivered 66 percent of the first serves and a single ace in the second set. They sealed sixteen of the nineteen first service points and four of the ten second service points. The unseeded
team saved all the four break points they faced and capitalised on one of the two break point opportunities they created on the American/Latvian team’s serve in the second set.
Muller and Murray faced a tough competition in the match tie-break. However, they succeeded in clinching a late mini-break and consolidated on it to grab the match tie-break 13-11. Muller and Murray claimed four of the seven first
service points and two of the seven first return points in the match tie-break.
The Luxembourger/British team will take on Indian/Filipino combination of Somdev Devvarman and Treat Conrad Huey in the quarterfinals.
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