Murray sets Del Potro clash
Originally published on 01/06/17 00:00
The Slovakian’s thunderous forehand and spectacular shotmaking rocked the world No.1 for large periods of the match, but his inconsistency proved to be his downfall. It was a dogged display from Murray and he will be relieved to have avoided the trials and tribulations of a fifth-set shootout.
“I expected it to be very tough,” admitted the Brit. “He [Klizan] goes for huge shots and he can hit winners from anywhere on the court. Sometimes you think you’ve hit a good shot and he comes up with unbelievable power from defensive positions and makes winners.
“I tried to play a solid match, and as it went on I started to hit the ball a little deeper and was able to dictate more of the points – but when he is controlling with his forehand it’s very difficult.”
Del Potro reached the round of 32 with a win via retirement. Nicolas Almagro was forced to quit with a knee injury and he was consoled by the compassionate Argentinian.
"I don't feel good after this sad situation," acknowledged Del Potro. "I wish a good recovery to Nico. Hopefully he can feel better very, very soon, because he's a great player and we love to have him on tour.
“Of course, it's not easy for me when you have a friend on the other side of the court showing an injury or crying. It was really a bad moment for both, but I wish him all the best.”
Stan Wawrinka enjoyed a smooth passage into the third round with a 6-4 7-6(5) 7-5 success over Alexandr Dolgopolov.
Both players contributed to an entertaining spectacle however it was the Swiss who won the points of significance. “It was a big match, I’m very glad to have won in three sets,’ remarked the 2015 champion, who will play Fabio Fognini next.
“I think the level was very high and I’m very happy to be playing on this court today. He puts a lot of pressure on you. I really had to concentrate on what I’m doing and contain the rallies. It’s great to have made the third round but what’s important for me is the way I play. I want to find the confidence that I was lacking, and that’s going well so far.”
Former US Open champion Marin Cilic continues to power his way through the draw. The Croatian dropped just seven games as he brushed past Konstantin Kravchuk and reached the third round for a seventh time.
“I'm taking it step by step, that's the most important part,” commented Cilic, who will play Feliciano Lopez next. “Definitely my big focus, as I was mentioning in the past couple days, is to keep going with my game, to focus on that. That's my only priority. I'm very satisfied with the way I'm playing.”
Elsewhere, John Isner aced his way past Paolo Lorenzi, Kei Nishikori thrashed Jeremy Chardy and Lopez prevailed in the battle of the veterans on Court 3. The 35-year-old defeated fellow Spaniard, David Ferrer, 7-5 3-6 7-5 4-6 6-4 in a bruising and energy-sapping duel.
There were also a surprise win for Karen Khachanov over Tomas Berdych, and Kyle Edmund defeated Renzo Olivo 7-5 6-3 6-1.
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