Thomaz Bellucci undoes Andy Murray in the third round of Mutua Madrid Open
Andy Murray may have been the 2008 Madrid Masters Champion, but it was Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci who made the biggest impression in yesterday’s round of 16 match between the two players. In a fight where many pundits had seen a
dominant win for Murray as a foregone conclusion, Bellucci was able to push the young Brit to limits. His 90 minutes on the court were most productive against Murray, making the former champion, look like an ill-equipped amateur.
Bellucci upset fourth seeded Murray in straight sets 6-4, 6-2 to advance into the quarterfinal of the 2011 Mutua Madrid Open for the first time in his career. It was their first encounter with Bellucci now having a lead in the
head-to-head sequence against Murray by 1-0.
2008 Madrid Masters Champion looked a bit shaky against the Brazilian Pro and couldn’t show the form he displayed in his previous appearances. Murray recently recovered from an elbow injury never seemed to find his grove in this
fight. Much of that can be attributed to Bellucci’s consistency and hard work, but that wasn’t the Murray his fans used to. The Brit never wished to surrender but he met a huge obstacle in Bellucci and had to gift away the match in straight sets.
Despite picking up some form in the first set, Murray could not hold the ground and lost the set with a 6-4 score line. He hit 60 percent of the first serves, winning 67 percent of points on his first serve and 58 percent on his
second serve. Bellucci on the other hand, had big serve and penetrating shots that were hard to cope with. He scored 76 percent of points on his first serve and 57 percent on his second serve and didn’t allow Murray to break back.
In the second set, Murray steadied and extended the rallies more, pushing the Brazilian through his paces to go 2-0. But the Brazilian immediately came up with some good shots and dying lengths to lead the score 4-2. Bellucci stayed
focused and displayed really good touch at the front to win some crucial rallies. In the end it was 6-2 to Bellucci
Bellucci had the power and technique to keep Murray moving and he looked very sharp against him. Murray on the other hand looked as if he was lacking the match practice and confidence after his break found it hard to cope with
Bellucci’s power and angles. Bellucci will next face Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic in the quarterfinal of the tournament. He will be focused to keep the momentum from this match and has a great chance to take the victory.
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