Murray overhauls Nalbandian at BNP Paribas Masters
Andy Murray came from a set down to defeat David Nalbandian in his second round match at the BNP Paribas Masters, winning with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 scoreline.
It was Nalbandian’s aggression on the fast indoor court that ensured he made the better start and after missing out on breaking Murray’s serve in the opening game of the match, the 28-year-old didn’t make the same mistake the second time around, as he came to the net at break point and with some deft touch converted the opportunity to take 2-1 lead.
One break soon became two as Nalbandian raced to the first set in 33 minutes, his flashy brand of tennis paying dividends against Murray’s more dour defensive game as he struggled to find his range from the baseline.
With the Scot’s baseline game failing him Murray began to switch things up, as in the second set he combined some big serves with serve and volley tactics to foil the Argentinian’s attempts to again open up the early advantage.
With Murray finding a way to combat the world No. 25, games remained on serve until the 10th game of the set, when the Australian Open runner-up found himself with his first break point chances of the match – and it only took one of them for the world No. 4 to level the match at one set apiece.
After receiving treatment for a wrist problem during the third set, Murray played on, allaying fears the injury would impact on his chances of playing in the World Tour Finals in London at the end of November, and gained the crucial break in the eighth game, and with it the chance to serve for the match, which he duly did, sealing victory with a winning backhand volley.
Earlier, Andy Roddick boosted his chances of qualifying for the World Tour Finals for the eighth straight year with a straight sets win over Jarkko Nieminen, while defending champion Novak Djokovic started slowly against Juan Monaco, but after recovering from a break down in the first set the US Open finalist went on to record a 6-4, 6-3 win to book his place in the third round.
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