Andy Murray vs. Tomas Berdych: Score, Recap for Australian Open 2015 Semifinal
Andy Murray booked his place in the 2015 Australian Open final with a dominating 6-7(6), 6-0, 6-3, 7-5 win over Tomas Berdych.
Berdych took the first set as Murray struggled to come to terms with his rival's serve, but the Brit then asserted control in an excellent performance. The Australian Open's Twitter account confirmed the result:
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Murray was frustrated by Berdych's serve in the opening exchanges. Windy conditions influenced the flight of the ball, but at 4-3, Berdych delivered on the first of his two possible break points. Murray defended resolutely to immediately break back, and at 5-5, Berdych saved two opportunities for the Scotsman to break again.
The first set headed to a dramatic tiebreak. Murray rushed to the net to lead 2-1 before his string broke to allow Berdych parity at 3-3. An unforced error led Murray to set point, which Berdych saved before delivering an ace to set up his own. Murray hit the net with his next attempt, providing his opponent with a one-set lead.
Murray struck back immediately in the second set, beginning with a love game, the highlight of which was a thumping forehand as he approached the net. Quite amazingly, 22 minutes later, the 27-year-old was 5-0 up, bageling Berdych when the Czech hit long.
Berdych seemed to suddenly lose his intensity and confidence, summarised by the BBC's Russell Fuller and ESPN Tennis:
"Berdych winning dismal 36% of his 1st serve points to drop 2nd set 0-6. The Czech had previously only been bageled three times in a Major.
— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) January 29, 2015"
Berdych ended a seven-game losing streak to make it 1-1 in the third. He then appeared to grow in stature with a service game to love, but Murray continued to push Berdych wide with accurate strokes to the baseline. At 40-0 up, Berdych hit two double faults and an unforced error to let Murray break from an unlikely position before the Brit slammed home another love game to make the score 5-2.
Despite grabbing a game back, Berdych was once again no match for Murray's serve as he surrendered the third set. Murray aced the second of two set points to take an overall lead, leaving Berdych visibly deflated in front of the Australian crowd.
The tournament's feed highlighted Berdych's sudden loss of form:
Berdych responded, however, working well on his serve to keep his nose in front during the fourth set. Murray saved two break points to level at 3-3, per the Australian Open Twitter account:
Both players continued to battle, but Berdych was never free of mistakes and always threatened his own downfall. This came to fruition again when he served a double fault to hand Murray two break points, which he took to make the score 6-5 in his favour.
Murray then served for the match, delivering a stunning ace and love game to send himself through to the Australian Open final. He spoke to the local crowd about the joys of his new coach after the match:
Despite a ponderous start, Murray enjoyed a complete performance. He defended well when needed, methodically set up his killer shots and neutralised Berdych's big-hitting style by keeping him guessing. The mental side of his game also appears positive—he was able to readjust tactics after the opening-set loss without hassle—suggesting he trusts himself to overcome any threat.
He will now face either No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic or defending champion Stanislas Wawrinka in the showpiece match.
The way Murray is playing, he'll be more than confident of toppling either.
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