French Open 2012 Results: Andy Murray Injury Scare Clears Way for Rafael Nadal

Andy Murray won his second-round matchup with Jarkko Nieminen, but struggled with a back injury and lost the opening set.

The scores in the match were 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2.

The Scot explained what he felt, via Simon Briggs of the Telegraph. He said, “My back went into spasm, basically. It was sore when I got up, sore when I practiced. I couldn't put any weight on my left leg, it's something that happens sometimes.”

Murray came into the tournament as the No. 4 seed, meaning he will likely have to get past No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal in order to make it to the finals.

He has been hindered by the same injury in recent tournaments and pulled out of the Madrid Masters earlier this year.

Murray has been knocking on the door of a Grand Slam win for some time now, reaching the finals in three majors since 2008. However, clay is not his surface and he will need to be at his very best in order to get by Nadal. 

The Spaniard, meanwhile, looks as dominant as ever at Roland Garros. He won his second-round match against Denis Istomin in straight sets. The scores were 6-2, 6-2, 6-0.

Nadal has won six of the last seven French Opens and has been on fire on clay courts in recent months.

Leading up to the tournament, Nadal won titles on his favorite surface in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome.

He is hitting his stride and playing at the very top of his game right now. Even if Murray was completely healthy, Nadal would still be the heavy favorite in the potential semifinal matchup.

But Murray is clearly struggling with his back problems, and this makes the path to the finals even easier for Nadal. Murray would have been his best competition leading up to the last match. 

Now, Nadal will cruise into the finals with little challenge, while Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will likely butt heads in the other semifinal.

With Murray’s latest injury troubles, Nadal will be fresh and ready when he plays for his eighth title at Roland Garros and he will surely be victorious.