Andy Murray delivered a commanding performance before a royal audience, dismissing talented Frenchman Richard Gasquet, 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-2, to earn his eighth straight grass-court win and storm into his fourth consecutive Wimbledon quarterfinal.
Newlyweds Prince William and Kate Middleton mingled with Billie Jean King and former Wimbledon junior champ Ilana Kloss in the royal box, while Henman Hill was as congested as a subway car during rush hour in anticipation of this match. And why not? It pitted two of the most brilliant backhands in the game, and was rematch of a memorable 2008 fourth-rounder that saw Murray fight back from a two-set deficit to defeat Gasquet in three hours, 57 minutes.
Intent on avoiding another draining duel with the 2007 semifinalist, Murray navigated the slippery slope of the first set that seemed to drain a degree of self-belief from Gasquet. The only break point came in the second game; Murray erased it by attacking the net and coaxing a running forehand error. In the overtime, a beautiful backhand exchange ended when Murray drove the ball up the line, and Gasquet’s running forehand reply missed the mark, giving Murray a 5-3 advantage. Two points later, Murray again worked his way to net, this time tapping a high forehand into the open court to end matters.
Opening his shoulders, Murray struck with more authority in the second set, hitting 17 winners compared to Gasquet’s nine. The Scot slammed an ace down the T for triple set point, and when Gasquet sent a return beyond the baseline, Murray had a commanding two-set lead against an opponent who had staged only one successful rally from a two-set deficit.
The Murray serve was a key stroke to the match. Exploiting Gasquet’s tendency to block back returns from several feet behind the baseline, Murray explored all areas of the service box in cracking 14 aces, winning 80 percent of his first-serve points and denying both break points he faced. The No. 4 seed is also displaying more competitive calm on court, making better use of his variety and asserting himself on pivotal points. He hit 44 winners compared to Gasquet’s 30 in playing his finest grass-court match since dismantling Andy Roddick in the Queen’s Club semifinals.
Continuing his quest to become the first British man to reach the Wimbledon final since Bunny Austin in 1938, Murray will be a decided favorite in the quarterfinals against Feliciano Lopez, who came from two sets down to beat Polish qualifier Lukasz Kubot.
—Richard Pagliaro