A nauseated Andy Murray took treatment for an upset stomach while trailing Janko Tipsarevic by a set and a break today. The third-seeded Scot reflexively reached for his stomach as if trying to suppress lunch from introducing itself to the court. Ultimately, Murray calmed both his churning stomach and queasy shotmaking to tame Tipsarevic, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, and advance to the Miami semifinals.
This was a topsy-turvy match in which two Top 10 players took turns playing hit-and-miss tennis, combining for 11 service breaks and 89 unforced errors. You seldom see Murray miss his trusty two-hander as badly or as often as he did in the first set and a half today, but even that normally rock-solid shot seemed afflicted by a bug. A resourceful Murray relied on his will as much as his shot-making skill, and cleaned up his act considerably as the match wore on, squeezing errors from the ninth-seeded Serbian's weaker forehand wing.
The pair had split their four prior hard-court meetings and offered immediate indication this could be a long day, trading breaks at the outset. Typically, Tipsarevic is quicker to pull the trigger on down-the-line drives, but that habit got him into trouble in the sixth game as he flat-lined four errors into net to hand Murray the break and a 4-2 advantage. Shrugging off that lapse, the man behind the sports shades narrowed his focus, reduced his errors and reeled off five consecutive games. Tipsarevic, who serves bigger than his 5'11" frame suggests, slammed successive aces to seize the first set despite a 48 percent first-serve percentage and 15 errors.
When the 27-year-old Belgrade baseliner broke for a 1-0 second-set lead, Murray called for the doctor, saying "I can't take any fluid. Every time I take fluid I want to throw up." Supplied with what appeared to be antacid tablets, Murray got back to work. Murray scored the third straight break at love midway through the second set for 3-3. Two games later, Tipsarevic slid a slice backhand into net to hand Murray his third straight break and a 5-3 lead. Murray won nine of the last 11 points, finishing the set with a crisp wide serve and forehand into the open court to level the match.
After his weekend win, Roger Federer referenced the old adage that you're only as good as your second serve. That was evident in this match, as Tipsarevic won just 11 of 34 points (32 percent) played on his second serve—including just five points on his second delivery during the last two sets—as Murray found the range on his return. Tipsarevic's forehand also let him down, as he frequently flattened that shot into the top of the net when trying to change direction. Murray converted his third break point when Tipsarevic scattered a backhand down the line long for a 2-1 edge. Erasing the only break point he faced in the final set with a 134 MPH ace, Murray held for 5-3 and closed on a Tipsarevic error.
The 2009 champion will face Rafael Nadal or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for a spot in the final.