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Murrays ousted in ATP Washington quarter-final, Medvedev advances
WASHINGTON, Aug 3, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Three-time Grand Slam champion Andy
Murray, working his way into shape six months after right hip surgery, lost
Friday alongside brother Jamie in the ATP Washington Open doubles quarter-
finals.
The British duo, playing together for the first time since the 2016 Rio
Olympics, lost to New Zealand’s Michael Venus and South African Raven Klaasen
6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (8/6), 10-7 at the US Open tuneup event, where Murray has
practiced singles as well.
“I feel fine, just disappointed,” Murray said of his condition after the
defeat. “Practices have been fine.”
Murray, who feared his career might be over after the January operation,
hasn’t played singles since the Australian Open but says he might return at
the ATP Cincinnati Masters that begins August 12, two weeks before the start
of the US Open in New York.
“Just keep pressing next 10 days,” Murray said. “If I feel ready, I’ll
give it a go. If not, I’ll probably wait until after New York.”
Murray, set to play doubles next week at Montreal alongside Spaniard
Feliciano Lopez, doesn’t want his first singles matches back to be the best-
of-five-set variety offered in Grand Slams.
He ruled out playing in Winston-Salem the week before the US Open,
figuring the time would be better spent practicing for a post-US Open return
as he works to recover top form and conditioning.
“I don’t see the point of it necessarily,” Murray said. “I’ve never
competed the week before a Slam. If I’m not ready five or six days beforehand
I’ll give it a miss.”
The 32-year-old Scotsman, a former world number one now ranked 222nd,
captured Grand Slam singles crowns at the 2012 US Open and at Wimbledon in
2013 and 2016.
– Medvedev beats Cilic –
Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev advanced to the semi-finals by
defeating Croatian sixth seed and 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic 6-4, 7-6
(9/7).
Medvedev, chasing his fifth career ATP title after winning in February at
Sofia, took the only break at the start on the way to denying Cilic his first
semi-final of the year in capturing their first-ever meeting.
“I served really great. That was one of the keys,” Medvedev said. “I
managed to do what I had to do, hold my serve and win the tie-breaker. I’m
really happy with my level of play.”
Next up for Medvedev will be 122nd-ranked German lucky loser Peter
Gojowczyk, who outlasted British 13th seed Kyle Edmund 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
Gojowczyk, who only made the event after Australia’s Bernard Tomic dropped
out with a finger injury, added the world number 34 to a US capital victims
list that includes Canada’s 20th-ranked Milos Raonic and 25th-ranked Aussie
Alex De Minaur.
“I was actually surprised to play any matches and now I’m in the semis,”
Gojowczyk said. “I’m relaxed on the court, hit the ball hard — I’m lucky
loser, don’t think about it, go for the shot. I look for my game and I’ve
found it.”
The only ATP title for Gojowczyk came at Metz in 2017.
Greek top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas will jump to a career-high fifth in the
world rankings if he can defeat French 10th seed Benoit Paire in a later
quarter-final.
The 20-year-old Australian Open semi-finalist would overtake Germany’s
Alexander Zverev, who is off after winning 2017 and 2018 titles at
Washington. Zverev beat Tsitsipas in last year’s Washington semis.
The Tsitsipas-Paire winner advances to a Saturday semi-final against
either 137th-ranked Slovakian lucky loser Norbert Gombos or Australia’s Nick
Kyrgios.
In the accompanying WTA event, Russian qualifier Anna Kalinskaya ousted
France’s Kristina Mladenovic 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to book a semi-final date with
American Jessica Pegula, who beat compatriot Lauren Davis 6-2, 7-6 (7/2).
“It was a nice win,” Kalinskaya said. “I tried to be more consistent, less
in a rush to play, and that’s why I’ve improved.”
BSS/AFP/SSS/0852 hrs