Murray vs Lacko: Smooth as a Summer Breeze
Andy Murray is currently the No. 1 British tennis player and the No.4 proffesional player in the world. Born and raised in Glasgow Scotland this 23-year-old is poised for super-stardom.
Lukas Lacko is a professional Slovak tennis player who’s highest ranking was 60 and this was achieved in February of this year. When the two were first set to go head to head, everybody thought they knew exactly how the match would play itself out, and it turns out everybody was right.
Despite a slight knee ailment caused by Murray’s bipartite patella (a genetic birth defect in the knees) Murray just breezed right through his first US. Open contender this season. Murray maintained his distinctive counterpunching style at first, but seeing as how there was no competition, he slowly expanded his repertoire, passing exchanges from the baseline and hitting Lacko hard with sudden bursts of energy.
The first set, which started off with two straight aces, was a decisive 7-1 lead for Murray. Lacko countered, and for a brief moment there was a breath of hope for his supporters at the beginning of the second set. Lacko created something out of nothing and with his back to the net managed to finish an incredible shot helping him to break back to a 1-1 score.
This hope quickly dwindled with Murray’s counter-attacks and brilliant placement; the score was 6-3 for that set, and within 3 points is about as close as our man Lacko ever got to the British Boy Wonder.
It was almost as though the heat had gotten to him after the beginnings of that second round. Murray hit several drop-shots, mixing them in with a healthy array of backhanders and powerful ground strokes. He controlled this match; he controlled the pace and the direction.
The following two rounds didn’t get Lacko very far. The score saw Murray beating Lacko out 6-2, 6-2 consecutively. Lacko double-faulted twice in the third game of the third set, and Murray didn’t even bat an eyelash.
When asked about the match, Murray had this to say: “I managed to get through in straight sets so I’m pleased, but it was a lot tougher than the score suggests”. This statement prompts congratulations for Murray on his sportsmanship and modesty. If that straight-sets victory had been any easier on the man, I think he would’ve done it sitting down.
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