Brilliant Murray Wins Davis Cup For Britain

Great Britain have won the Davis Cup for the first time in 79 years, after Andy Murray beat Belgium’s David Goffin in straight sets.

The Brits led the tie in Ghent by two matches to one, after Andy and his brother Jamie won Saturday’s doubles rubber.

Andy Murray in action
(Picture from iusbpreface.com)

That meant Belgium had to win both singles matches on the final day tie at the Flanders Expo Arena, however Goffin was unable to cause an upset and went down 6-3 7-5 6-3 to an inspired Murray in a gruelling 2 hours and 54 minutes.

Murray will no doubt claim the headlines and a Davis Cup triumph will help polish an abundant career which has seen him win two Grand Slam title and an Olympic gold medal.  

    

He hasn’t lost a match in the team completion this year and has been involved in 8 out of the 9 rubbers which Britain have claimed in 2015.

However it shouldn’t be forgotten that Britain were in the third tier of the competition when captain Leon Smith took charge of the team five years ago, and he along with many others have played a huge part in hurling the team back to the World Group.

James Ward’s victory over John Isner at the start of the year was key to beating the United States; Dan Evans won the deciding fifth rubbers against both Russia and Slovakia in group 1, while doubles players like Jamie Murray and Colin Fleming have also played a huge role among many others.

Even so there is no doubt that Murray’s commitment to the team this year has been the decisive factor, his dedicated performances have allowed Britain to conquer the other three Grand Slam nations in the USA, France and Australia on their way to the title.

He went into the crucial match against Goffin as the overwhelming favourite, despite the Belgian’s ranking of 16 in the world.

Goffin had to come back from two sets down on the opening day to beat Britain’s Kyle Edmund in a match he simply had to win, against Murray he played with more freedom and caused some early problems for the British number one in front of a packed crowd.

However it was Murray who made the first break though after saving a break point in the third game of the match.

He punished Goffin’s second serve whenever the opportunity arose and went on to take the first set by six games to three.

Goffin, who had also played the doubles on Saturday, didn’t go away and played his part in some exhausting rallies, the Belgian continuously tried to take the ball on the rise and forced Murray to play some of his best tennis.

The Brit made his move at 5-5 in second set breaking the Goffin serve before serving his way to a two set lead.

Murray served consistently throughout but lost his serve for the first time at the start of the third. That wasn’t enough to keep him down and Murray came back to break Goffin three times in the final set.

He sealed the win with a spectacular backhand lob, as Britain won their first Davis Cup since 1936.

Murray Draws Tie Level On Day One Of Davis Cup Final

Andy Murray made sure Great Britain ended day one of the Davis Cup final level at one match all, after beating Belgium’s Reben Bemelmans in straight sets.

Britain looked like they were heading for an unlikely 1-0 lead when Kyle Edmund, on his Davis Cup debut, went two sets up against the world number 16 David Goffin, but was eventually outlasted by the Belgian.

There were no such problems for Murray who, despite a tough third set against an inspired opponent, dispatched Bemelmans 6-3 6-2 7-5 after 3 hours of play.

Andy Murray in action
(Picture from i.guim.co.uk)

He and his brother Jamie will take to the court in tomorrow’s doubles rubber against, most likely, Bemelmans and Steve Darcis, as Britain bid to win the competition for the first time since 1936.

Murray had never faced the left-handed Bemelmans prior to this match and took the Briton a little while to adjust to his opponent’s unpredictable style.

Bemelmans did his best to unsettle Murray in the early exchanges and used a variety of astute drop shots and clever angles to keep the Brit off-guard.

However when it comes to cat and mouse exchanges there are few better in the game than Murray, and the Briton quickly turned the tables with some shrewd tennis of his own.

A single break of serve in the opening set was enough for Murray to take it in 34 minutes; even so the Belgian continued to play above his ranking of 108 in the world, which made for an entertaining encounter.

The score line remained one-sided in the Brit’s favour, but the second set took a prolonged 47 minutes.

Still that didn’t dispirit the Belgian who, to Murray’s frustration, broke the Brit’s serve for the first time in the match mid-way through the third set.

Murray received a point penalty from umpire Albert Ramos for letting out his frustration which was largely caused by Bemelmans’ powerful forehands and high risk tennis.

Murray broke back immediately but faced a set point at 5-4, which his opponent fired long. The Brit also came up against a hostile Davis Cup crowd who did their best to disrupt the world number two.

It took three hours of play but at last Murray go the job done and can now turn his attentions to tomorrow’s pivotal doubles match.

Goffin Puts Belgium 1-0 In Davis Cup Final

David Goffin rescued Belgium’s hopes in the final of the Davis Cup as he came from two sets down to beat Britain’s Kyle Edmund in five sets.

Edmund, who was making his Davis Cup debut in the final at the age of 20, made an exceptional start and outplayed his higher ranked opponent for over an hour.

Kyle Edmund in action
(Picture from e1.365dm.com)

Even so Goffin, ranked 16 in the world, showed his experience to turn the match around and win 3-6 1-6 6-2 6-1 6-0 on the clay court at the Flanders Expo Arena in Ghent, Belgium.

It was a match that the hosts had to win, with Andy Murray due to play in the next three matches of the tie for Britain. Goffin’s victory puts Belgium 1-0 in the final, with Murray due to play Ruben Bemelmans in the reverse singles.

Edmund got the nod over fellow singles player James Ward to play in the opening singles, after winning a challenger on clay in Buenos Aires two weeks ago.

The Brit, who is ranked 100 in the world, made the perfect start and after saving two break points in the opening game he raced into an astounding 5-0 lead.

Edmund’s heavy groundstrokes and potent serve helped him out power the higher ranked Goffin in the early exchanges.

The Belgian managed to spare some blushes as he recovered to 5-3 but it wasn’t enough to save the opening set.

Goffin’s nerves were clearly getting the better of him and the errors continued to fly off the Belgian’s racket.

Edmund continued to dominate and after breaking his opponent early in the second, he went on to claim a two set lead after a Goffin double fault.

however from there Goffin began to demonstrate some of the qualities which has seen him rise to 16 in the world, he began to claw his way back into the match which quickly turned in the Belgian’s favour.

He broke Edmund twice at the start of the third and despite conceding one break straight back he wrapped up the set moments later.

Edmund, who has only won one match at Grand Slam level at this year’s French Open, began tire, and his cutting shots which were finding their mark early on began to drift astray.

The Brit called for the trainer mid-way through the fourth set and things went south from there.

 Goffin’s confidence grew stronger and by the end of the match he was in full flow, he went on to win 12 of the last 13 games to give Belgium a much needed lead in the overall tie.

      

Djokovic Beats Federer In Masters Final

Novak Djokovic claimed his fourth successive ATP World Tour Finals title after beating Roger Federer in straight sets.

Federer had beaten Djokovic in the group stage earlier in the competition, but was unable to overcome the world number one for a second match running as he went down 6-3 6-4.

Novak Djokovic lifts the title for the fourth year running
(Picture from i.guim.co.uk)

The triumph capped off a remarkable season for Djokovic, in which he claimed 3 Grand Slams and 6 masters 1000 titles.

The Serb beat Rafael Nadal in Saturday’s semi-final and was in equally impressive form as he dispatched Federer in the final.

The match should have been a repeat of last year’s final which didn’t take place due to a back injury sustained by Federer.

The Swiss was forced to save a break point in the opening game of the match but then surrendered his serve two games later.

Federer tried to mix up the rallies and approach the net when the opportunities arose. However his first serve percentage stood at 57% after the first set, and Djokovic took full advantage.

The Serb broke the Federer serve again at the end of the opening set. That meant he served first at the start of the second and Federer was always playing catch up.

Federer saved three break points when trailing 3-2 in the second set; however Djokovic made his move at 5-4 and the title was sealed with a Federer double fault.

“I am enjoying every moment on the court, I cherish every moment after dreaming of it as a kid. Thank you everyone for making this year so special” said the Serb after the match.

Earlier in the day Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau beat Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea 6-4 6-3 to win the doubles title.

ATP World Tour Finals Day 4 - Nadal Beats Murray In Second Group Match

Andy Murray lost his second group match at the ATP World Tour finals after he was comfortably beaten by Rafael Nadal in straight sets.

Nadal, who beat Stanislas Wawrinka on Monday, claimed his second victory of the event and now tops the group with two wins after a 6-4 6-1 victory.

Refeal Nadal celebrates his second win of the event
(Picture from e1.365dm.com)

Murray still looked a little distracted ahead of the Davis Cup final which takes place in less than a week’s time.

He will now play Wawrinka in his final group match to determine whether he will qualify for the semi-final stage, the Swiss takes on David Ferrer later today.

The early signs looked good for Murray who broke Nadal in the opening game of the match but then surrendered his serve in the very next game.

Nadal, who will end the year without a grand slam for the first time since 2003, began to create the better chances and showed indications that he is beginning to rediscover the form which saw him claim 14 major titles.  

In the next couple of games Murray was forced to save three break points, however he conceded his serve and the opening set when he was broke to 0 while trailing 5-4.

It was a decisive breakthrough, as Murray lost his serve to 0 again at the start of the second set in a game which included two double faults.

Even the Brit’s usually dependable backhand was continuously going astray and Nadal took full advantage as he raced towards the finish line.

Another break of serve for the Spaniard when leading 4-1 allowed him to serve for the match and all but guarantee a place in the last four after two straight set victories.

"I think I played well in general” said the Spaniard after the match.  "I didn't think I made that many mistakes. I'm very happy. I'm working hard to play matches like this."

Earlier in the day Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut claimed their first victory in the doubles competition beating Marcin Matkowski and Nenad Zimonjic 5-7 6-3 10-8.

ATP World Tour Finals Day 2 - Murray Beats Ferrer In London Opener

Andy Murray beat Spaniard David Ferrer in his opening group match at the ATP World Tour Finals.

The British number one was on court just over an hour, as he recorded a 6-4 6-4 victory over the world number 7.

Andy Murray in action (Picture from i.guim.co.uk/img)

The other match in the group between Rafael Nadal and Stanislas Wawrinka will take place at 8:00pm tonight.

There were doubts whether the Brit, who is now ranked 2nd in the world, would play in London this year due to Great Britain’s involvement  in the Davis Cup final.

That tie will take place in a fortnight’s time on a clay court in Belgium and Murray has admitted that he has been training on the surface prior to this week.

For the time being he will have to acclimatise to the indoor court at the 02 arena; in the opening game of the match it looked like it may take him a while to adapt as Ferrer created the first break point opportunity.

However the early uncertainty was quickly extinguished as Murray held serve and began the hunt for a break of his own.

Leading 4-3 in the first set, Murray went on the attack but the tenacious Ferrer fended off three break points to level the match at four games all.

Even so the Spaniard’s first serve percentage was dwindling below 50%, and Murray pounced two games later to claim a set advantage.

At the start of second set Murray’s concentration wavered and his serve was broken for the first time in the 11th game of the contest.

The Brit had beaten Ferrer in straight sets at the semi-final stage in Paris a couple of weeks ago, and the Spaniard’s serve continued let him down here.

Murray showed great variety by using an array of drop shots and coming into the net on numerous occasions, as he began to turn the set around.

By the end of the match Ferrer had served eight double faults, and after moving 5-4 ahead Murray broke his opponent for the 3rd time to seal the victory.

Earlier in the day Jean Julien Rojer and Horia Tecău beat Nenad Zimonjic and Marcin Matkowski 6-2 6-4 in the doubles competition.

ATP World Tour Finals Day 1 - Federer And Djokovic Win On Opening Day

Roger Federer won his opening group match at the ATP World Tour Finals after beating Tomas Berdych in straight sets.

Roger Federer in action (Picture from i.eurosport.com) 

The Swiss,  who is bidding for an unprecedented 7th title at the season end championships, made light work of his Czech opponent winning 6-4 6-2 in an hour and eight minutes.

Federer hasn’t won the tournament in London since 2011 due to the dominance of Novak Djokovic, who has won here on the last three occasions.

The Serb earlier recorded a resounding 6-1 6-1 victory over Japanese star Kei Nishikori, and is due to play Federer in his next round robin match.

That should be a closer encounter after both appeared to be in cruise control on day one.

Even so it was Berdych who made the better start in the opening group match, as he broke Federer to 0 in the second game of the match.

However the Czech’s lead was short lived as Federer hit back in the next game and began to flick through the gears.

Berdych has a bizarre record at these championships; each time he has played he has lost his first match but then gone on to win the second.

Once again it looked like Berdych would suffer an opening match defeat as Federer claimed a decisive break at 4-4 in the first set.

He went on to serve it out a game later before taking an early lead in the second.

From there he surged to victory and after his triumph he was rewarded with the ATP fans' favourite and sportsmanship awards.

"It's very special. I enjoy getting awards, especially ones by fans and fellow players. I try to do it with style, I play hard but it is nice to get this respect” said Federer after the match.

Federer’s match followed the doubles match which saw Florin Mergea and Rohan Bopanna beat Bob and Mike Bryan 6-4 6-3.

The other match in the group saw Jamie Murray and John Peers beat Fabio Fognini and Simone Bolelli in a sudden death tiebreak, 7-6 3-6 11-9.