Share

Murray ends busy day in style

London - Andy Murray swept into the Queen's Club quarter-finals in emphatic fashion as the world number two finished a hectic Thursday by routing Australia's Marinko Matosevic 6-2, 6-2.

Murray had to complete two matches in one day after heavy rain on Wednesday left the pre-Wimbledon warm-up event behind schedule.

But the US Open champion rose to the challenge, first avenging last year's embarrassing Queen's exit against Nicolas Mahut with a 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) victory over the Frenchman in the second round.

Murray had led 6-3, 2-2 overnight and needed 43 minutes to finish off former Queen's finalist Mahut.

The 26-year-old was back in action just over three hours later against Matosevic, but the draining schedule didn't seem to trouble Murray, who missed the French Open with a lower back injury.

This is the Scot's first competitive action since retiring from the Rome Masters in May after aggravating the recurring back problem, but he showed few signs of rust as he demolished world number 65 Matosevic in 56 minutes.

The top seed's next opponent will be Germany's Benjamin Becker, who enjoyed a surprise 7-6 (7/5), 7-5 win over Ukrainian seventh seed Alexandr Dolgopolov.

"This afternoon was tricky because it was extremely windy. I had to be patient and not play high risk tennis too close to the lines," Murray told the BBC.

"I have been moving fairly well in the first couple of matches and hopefully that will get even better."

With Wimbledon looming in just 10 days, Murray could do with a strong showing on the lush lawns of west London and he remains on course to secure a third Queen's title.

Bosnia-born Matosevic posed little threat as Murray teased and tormented him with some sublime groundstrokes.

Murray broke for a 3-1 lead in the first set and then cemented his advantage with another break in the sixth game before serving out the set.

He kept his foot on the gas and broke again in the first game of the second set.

That effectively ended the contest but Murray added one more break for good measure before closing out a solid day's work.

Lleyton Hewitt continued his giant-killing run as the Australian moved into the quarter-finals with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 victory over American sixth seed Sam Querrey.

Hewitt is a four-time champion at the pre-Wimbledon warm-up event, but thoughts of a record fifth crown were some way from the former world number one's thoughts when he arrived at the start of the week.

The 32-year-old is well into the twilight of his career and his lowly 82nd position in the world rankings reflects that diminished status.

But the former Wimbledon champion brushed aside the highly-regarded Grigor Dimitrov in the second round before cutting big-serving Querrey down to size on Thursday.

Hewitt next faces former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro, who took just 57 minutes to beat British wildcard Daniel Evans 6-0, 6-3.

"I sort of pick and choose the tournaments I want to play nowadays," Hewitt said. "So for me, going into a Grand Slam, this is perfect preparation.

"It's good to come through a close three setter against a quality player."

Czech second seed Tomas Berdych progressed to the quarter-finals with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Slovenian 16th seed Grega Zemlja.

World number six Berdych now faces defending champion Marin Cilic, who battled back from 5-2 down in the final set to beat Spanish qualifier Feliciano Lopez 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the French fourth seed, survived a pair of gruelling three-set matches in the space of just a few hours to earn a last eight meeting with America's Denis Kudla.

Tsonga defeated compatriot Eduoard Roger-Vasselin 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 6-3 early on Thursday in a tie rescheduled from Wednesday due to rain.

The world number seven was forced to play again later in the day, defeating Holland's Igor Sijsling, 7-5, 5-7, 6-3.

Collated results from the fourth day of the ATP tournament at Queen's Club (x denotes seeding):

Second round:

Igor Sijsling (NED) bt Denis Istomin (UZB x14) 7-6 (7/4), 6-1
Feliciano Lopez (ESP) bt Julien Benneteau (FRA x11) 7-6 (7/5), 6-4
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x4) bt Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA) 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 6-3
Andy Murray (GBR x1) bt Nicolas Mahut (FRA) 6-3, 7-6 (7/4)

Third round:
Tomas Berdych (CZE x2) bt Grega Zemlja (SLO) 6-3, 6-4
Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) bt Sam Querrey (USA x6) 5-7, 6-3, 6-4
Juan Martin del Potro (ARG x3) bt Daniel Evans (GBR) 6-0, 6-3
Denis Kudla (USA) bt Kenny De Schepper (FRA) 6-1, 6-3
Marin Cilic (CRO x5) bt Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-5
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x4) by Igor Sijsling (NED) 7-5, 5-7, 6-3
Benjamin Becker (GER) bt Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR x7) 7-6 (7/5), 7-5
Andy Murray (GBR x1) bt Marinko Matosevic (AUS) 6-2, 6-2


We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2249 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE