Olympic Men's Tennis 2016: Quarter-Final Results, Scores and Reaction
Great Britain’s Andy Murray is within touching distance of an Olympic medal, as he battled past the United States’ Steve Johnson in a thrilling quarter-final on Friday.
The reigning champion and three-time major winner began at a blistering pace, although his opponent recovered well to level the match. Indeed, he pushed Murray to a tiebreaker in the decider, although the pedigree of the second seed shone through, running out a 6-0, 4-6, 7-6 (2) victor.
The Briton will play Kei Nishikori in the semi, after his own pulsating, three-set win over Gael Monfils.
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Spain’s Rafael Nadal survived a scare on his way into the semi-finals, recovering from a set down to beat home-crowd favourite Thomaz Bellucci. The third seed will face Juan Martin del Potro, after the Argentinian bettered Roberto Bautista Agut in straight sets.
Here are the results from the tennis in Rio de Janeiro and a look back at the best of the action.
| Andy Murray (2) bt. Steve Johnson (12) | 6-0, 4-6, 7-6 (2) |
| Kei Nishikori (4) bt. Gael Monfils (6) | 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (6) |
| Rafael Nadal (3) bt. Thomaz Belluci | 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 |
| Juan Martin del Potro bt. Roberto Bautista Agut (10) | 7-5, 7-6 (4) |
Murray Pushed to the Brink
Fresh from a win over Fabio Fognini, Murray came out with a real swagger against Johnson, who couldn’t cope with the Wimbledon champion early on.
Indeed, the control the second seed showcased in his shot-making, coupled with his industry in running down so many balls, seemed to break the American's will. In the end, Murray was picking off his serve with ease, and Johnson was on the end of a bagel in the first set.
As noted by BBC Sport’s Russell Fuller, although Murray dropped a set in his previous match, his recent form had been outstanding:
Johnson was able to halt that momentum early in the second stanza, breaking the Scotsman in the very first game. From there, the 12th seed started to find a foothold on serve, keeping Murray at arm’s length and giving himself a chance to serve this one out; he took the opportunity with conviction to push this one into a decider.
The Olympic champion was under pressure now, with momentum behind Johnson. A tense third set ensued between the pair, with both men strong initially on serve.
It was the American who broke first, producing a brilliant lob on break point to go 4-3 ahead in the third. But Murray showed the mentality of a champion to immediately get back on level terms, before both men held on their next two service games to force a tiebreaker.
As sports journalist Jack Rathborn noted, Johnson was enjoying himself at this juncture:
Nevertheless, it was Murray who held his nerve in this high-pressure scenario, moving ahead early and winning the breaker, 7-2.
The man tasked with getting the better of Murray in the semi-finals will be Nishikori, after he emerged the victor in a roller coaster of a match with Monfils.
Nishikori edged the opening set in a tiebreak, although Monfils found one of his devastating runs of form in the second stanza to level things up. It set up a cracking decider in which both men traded a succession of hammer blows; in the end, the Japanese produced his best on the key points, saving a match point in the tiebreak to progress.
Later in the day, Nadal was in big trouble against Bellucci to begin with. The Brazilian played a remarkable opening set, roared on by the Rio crowd, besting the Spaniard 6-2; those in attendance were sensing a famous upset.
The gulf in class between the two started to become apparent as the match wore on, though. Nadal began to find his flow once the ball was in play, and Bellucci, ranked 54th in the world, was unable to cope.
Indeed, once Nadal, an Olympic champion in 2008, won the second set 6-4, the writing was on the wall for Bellucci. The Spaniard was comfortable in the decider, securing an early break and keeping his opponent easily at bay to move into the semi-finals.
As David Law of BBC Radio 5 live noted, Nadal has rediscovered his swagger after his French Open withdrawal earlier in the year:
Del Potro stands between him and the chance of another medal. The former U.S. Open champion has enjoyed a resurgence this season, a trend that’s continued at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and in this match with Bautista Agut.
Indeed, while the Argentinian did get over the line in straight sets in this one, it wasn’t easy. Del Potro showed the class and steeliness he possesses at key moments, though; he’s a substantial threat to many people’s dream final of Nadal taking on Murray.
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