Events / Ben Caudell / 13 August 2010 /

Ben Caudell tells us why the most in-form man on the ATP tour should have little trouble dispatching defending champion Andy Murray tonight....

23 year-old Andy Murray is looking to become the first player to defend the Rogers Cup title since American Andre Agassi claimed back-to-back trophies in 1994 and 1995. His scratchy form in his first two matches here in Canada suggests that this task is going to be an uphill struggle for the Brit.

Murray come across as unconvincing against Gael Monfils yesterday where he suffered a mid-match lapse with a second set bagel (6-0). The fiery Brit did however make a strong recovery to finally clinch victory with three breaks of serve in the ensuing set to establish a quarter final showdown with the most in-form player on tour at the moment, David Nalbandian.

Red hot Nalbandian extended the longest winning streak of his career with a 4-6 6-4 6-1 win over fifth seed and two-time Roland Garros finalist Robin Soderling with a stellar display of guts and determination to record his 11th consecutive match win after a torrid season plagued by injuries.

The Argentine has played in only five ATP World Tour Events this year, he now has a 20-3 season record including 15-2 on hard courts and appears to have rekindled his very best form after taking nine months out after hip surgery and a further two months out in April and July of this year caused by a hamstring injury.

Both Murray and Nalbandian have similar defensive, counter attacking styles of play. This match will be like a game of chess with each player trying to figure out what their opponent's next move will be. They both have great fighting qualities, are mentally strong and have the tactical nous to change the rhythm of play, so we should all be in for a real humdinger of a match this evening....

My opinion is that the 28 year old Argentine will have the slight advantage coming into this game. Firstly he has a 2-0 head-to-head series lead over Murray, their most recent match played in 2008 at the Paris Masters Indoor hard court event, a tie Nalbandian won 7-6 6-3.

Secondly Murray hasn't been emphatic in any of his recent hard-court wins and has relied on his fighting qualities to get him out of some tricky situations. Nalbandian is currently' in the Zone ' and has shown incredible athleticism and stamina to have played at the level he has done in almost all of his 11 consecutive wins. There is the obvious consideration that Nalbandian will soon become fatigued and will find it hard against the more defensive minded Murray and that he won't be feeling 100%.

But my gut feeling is that Nalbandian hasn't a problem with his fitness; he is looking fresh and ready for the fight after many months off due to injury. He will relish the prospect of defeating the reigning Rogers Cup Champion and the chance to test his wits against the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the latter stages of the tournament.
I'm siding with Nalbandian's form in this match so will therefore be backing the Argentine to win a lucky twelfth.

Selection:

Back David Nalbandian @ [1.8] to win match
Back Nalbandian 2-0 @ [3.1]

'.$sign_up['title'].'

'; } } ?>

:

:

:

?

: