MONTREAL, Canada—Short haircut, short stay. An aerodynamic Andy Murray was "half a step slow" throughout his opener with Kevin Anderson, which the world No. 4 lost in clinical fashion, 6-3, 6-1.
Glancing at the score, you'd suspect that the 6'8" Anderson served Murray off the court, but you'd only be half right. The South African hit just five aces—only two more than Murray—but the key was Anderson's play after his first serve landed in, which happened often. When it did (65 percent of the time), Anderson dominated the rallies, winning 26 of 30 points. Murray admitted that he "didn't feel comfortable once the points got started" in his post-match presser, the opposite of how things usually go for the Scot.
Anderson has been knocking at the door for a while this year—semis of Brisbane, title in Johannesburg, quarters of Miami—and was probably due for a big upset, something the big man is certainly capable of. He got it today, busting countless brackets in the process. It will not be a "Big Four" final four in Montreal, and as the (two-time) defending champion, Murray will take a sizable ranking point hit. His No. 4 ranking won't be in jeopardy—both No. 5 Robin Sodering and No. 6 David Ferrer didn't make the trip up north—however, that won't stop calls for the elimination of the "Big Four" nickname altogether.
What's next for Murray? He'll stick around for doubles with brother Jamie—said Andy, "If I played doubles with someone else, I play to try and get time on the match court. Winning isn't necessarily always the most important thing. When I play with Jamie, I want to win."—and then it's off to Cincinnati. But let's ask ourselves this: What would another Murray championship in Canada have proven? It's all about the majors for him at this point, so take a page from the stock market, I would sell on panicking. Unless, of course, Murray has a repeat performance in Cincy.
—Ed McGrogan