By Tony Fairbairn
- Andy Murray [6] def Max Purcell [WC] 4-6 6-2 6-1
- Murray v Alexander Bublik [3] | H2H: Murray leads 3-1
NEWPORT, USA – Andy Murray neutralised a gritty Max Purcell to reach the last eight in Newport where he faces Alexander Bublik.
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Andy Murray [6] def Max Purcell [WC]
Andy Murray is into the quarter-finals after neutralising a tricky Max Purcell in three sets at the Hall of Fame Championships. Murray was full of confidence having only dropped two games against Sam Querrey in his opening match and the Brit showed that form early on as he threatened to break the Australian early on.
However Purcell was also in confident form as he entered Newport having won the doubles title at Wimbledon with Matthew Ebden. Purcell showed his early form on serve as he saved four break points to hold and he would follow that up with a break to love as he took the early initiative. Murray seemed frustrated with Purcell’s tactic of slicing the ball and that showed as the Brit was too desperate to hit winners. The Australian grinded himself to a 5-1 lead and despite a late resurgence from Murray, took the opening set on his fifth set point.
Despite working his way into form late in the opening set, Murray continued making errors under pressure as he was broken in the opening game on his fourth break point opportunity. As his back was seemingly against the wall, Murray managed to problem solve well in the last two sets and came back into the second set with some patiently aggressive tennis.
The Brit sealed two consecutive breaks to love to seize the advantage and Murray closed out the second set with another break as his return game was catching fire at the right moment. Murray’s return game continued with supreme efficiency as he broke in all three return games in the set as Purcell struggled to implement his slice game effectively in the deciding set.
Murray sealed victory on his second match point as he sealed a place in the last eight. The Brit will head into the quarter-finals with some mini-concern as he seemed to struggle with some hip/thigh issues towards the end of the match.
Andy Murray [6] v Alexander Bublik [3] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Andy Murray [6] v Alexander Bublik [3] | H2H: Murray leads 3-1 |
| ATP Newport | Newport, USA |
| Grass (O) | Prize Money: $17,985 |
| TBC | TennisTV |
Murray will play his third ATP quarter-final of the season when he takes on Alexander Bublik, an opponent Murray has played three times this season.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2022)
| H2H: | Andy Murray (WR 52) | Alexander Bublik (WR 42) |
| Tournament Previous Best | SF (2006) | Final (2019) |
| 1st Serve % | 60.5 | 58.3 |
| Service Games Won % | 83.5 | 80.7 |
| Break Points Saved % | 60.4 | 63.3 |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won % | 54.2 | 44.4 |
| Break Points Converted % | 36.7 | 37.6 |
Both players have similar statistics on serve but it’s Murray who has been more proactive on return especially in their previous meetings this season.
Playing styles and prediction
Bublik had a decent Wimbledon campaign but will still be reflecting on his missed opportunities in that third round defeat to Frances Tiafoe. The Kazakh will be looking to take advantage of the fact that this is the last grass court tournament for a year as he looks to climb into a seeding position ahead of the US Open.
The return is once again going to be the key battleground heading into this match with Murray’s return the key to his win in Stuttgart a month ago. If the Brit is in good condition then he should get through this match but Bublik won’t make it easy for him. Any lapses in concentration from the three-time grand slam and the third seed will definitely punish him in what should be an entertaining contest.
Prediction: Murray in three sets.
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