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By Tom Fordyce
BBC Sport at Wimbledon |
* Simon 1-6 2-4 Murray
Chris Hoy, Vicky Pendleton - the Olympic pantheon perched on edge of well-cushioned seats. Rest those legs, cycling legends. Almost some sympathy for See-mon out there - nothing at all for him on the Murray serve. Nice fact for you: Murray has won his last 19 matches against French players. You've got till the next game to guess who the last m'sieur to vanquish him was.
Chris Hoy, Vicky Pendleton - the Olympic pantheon perched on edge of well-cushioned seats. Rest those legs, cycling legends. Almost some sympathy for See-mon out there - nothing at all for him on the Murray serve. Nice fact for you: Murray has won his last 19 matches against French players. You've got till the next game to guess who the last m'sieur to vanquish him was.
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Simon 1-6 2-3 Murray *
Two ladies in the crowd there, both sporting crimson kipper ties, one with the letters A-N-D-Y picked out vertically, the other with A-C-E. Only in tennis. Simon holds, but everything's a battle on his serve. Kelly Holmes back in the Royal Box, and let me tell you this: she is ripped.
Two ladies in the crowd there, both sporting crimson kipper ties, one with the letters A-N-D-Y picked out vertically, the other with A-C-E. Only in tennis. Simon holds, but everything's a battle on his serve. Kelly Holmes back in the Royal Box, and let me tell you this: she is ripped.
* Simon 1-6 1-3 Murray
Hold to love from Murray, and this is peachy stuff. I had a stat all ready here about the success of French males at these championships (they got more players into the third round than any other nation) but I might have to bung it in the bin.
Hold to love from Murray, and this is peachy stuff. I had a stat all ready here about the success of French males at these championships (they got more players into the third round than any other nation) but I might have to bung it in the bin.
Simon 1-6 1-2 Murray *
Finally a hold for the embattled Frenchman. Up in the VIP seats, his coach Thierry Tulasne grimaces. I'm not surprised - he's got a shaved head, yet he's forgotten both cap and shades. On Court no.1. Sam Querrey ('cross the Mersey - see earlier Twitter exchange) is two sets to one up on Xavier Malisse - and the winner of that one meets the winner of this one on Monday.
Finally a hold for the embattled Frenchman. Up in the VIP seats, his coach Thierry Tulasne grimaces. I'm not surprised - he's got a shaved head, yet he's forgotten both cap and shades. On Court no.1. Sam Querrey ('cross the Mersey - see earlier Twitter exchange) is two sets to one up on Xavier Malisse - and the winner of that one meets the winner of this one on Monday.
* Simon 1-6 0-2 Murray
"She's mangled," the man to my right says with confidence. Murray content to slice all pace of the ball, and Simon doesn't like that one little bit. He won't like this either - a pal has texted me to say that a £3 accumulator he had on the World Cup group winners has raked him £1600, with France's despair a key part of that. Va-va-voom.
"She's mangled," the man to my right says with confidence. Murray content to slice all pace of the ball, and Simon doesn't like that one little bit. He won't like this either - a pal has texted me to say that a £3 accumulator he had on the World Cup group winners has raked him £1600, with France's despair a key part of that. Va-va-voom.
Simon 1-6 0-1 Murray *
Double-fault from Simon, and he's not helping himself here. Oof, lucky net-cord from Murray, but he's returning like a dream out there - break taken, and a lady in crowd who appears to be wearing a black bra over the outside of a grey swim-suit hoists a plastic pot of Pimm's and applauds with hand on exposed thigh. Some stats from that first set. Murray landed 94% of his service returns in as opposed to 68% from the Frenchman. He hit 10 winners - six more than Simon - and only made four unforced errors - half as many as his opponent.
Double-fault from Simon, and he's not helping himself here. Oof, lucky net-cord from Murray, but he's returning like a dream out there - break taken, and a lady in crowd who appears to be wearing a black bra over the outside of a grey swim-suit hoists a plastic pot of Pimm's and applauds with hand on exposed thigh. Some stats from that first set. Murray landed 94% of his service returns in as opposed to 68% from the Frenchman. He hit 10 winners - six more than Simon - and only made four unforced errors - half as many as his opponent.
FIRST SET
* Simon 1-6 Murray
Mama Judy and Ladyfriend Kim there in adjacent seats as always, shades pulled low, Judy sporting a dark blue cap. Simon thinks he's in with a sniff at 0-30, and there are angsty murmurs around Centre. Mmm, that ace will silence them, but Simon has an easy overhead to put away her... Lord alive, he's shanked that like a once-a-month club toiler. Total control of the next point, and Murray is on blistering form here - set up, a mere 23 minutes on the match clock.
Mama Judy and Ladyfriend Kim there in adjacent seats as always, shades pulled low, Judy sporting a dark blue cap. Simon thinks he's in with a sniff at 0-30, and there are angsty murmurs around Centre. Mmm, that ace will silence them, but Simon has an easy overhead to put away her... Lord alive, he's shanked that like a once-a-month club toiler. Total control of the next point, and Murray is on blistering form here - set up, a mere 23 minutes on the match clock.
Simon 1-5 Murray *
Crowd-pleasing slider down the line from the Murray forehand to get to 15-30. Nope - backhand slicer into the net, and he didn't quite get his feet right for that one, and when Simon fizzes a forehand out wide, Murray slips on the toasted turf to leave the gates unmanned. Ah, perfect return, like a hairy-headed Agassi reborn, and he'll have a break point - controlled all the way, won with sheer weight of shot pressure.
Crowd-pleasing slider down the line from the Murray forehand to get to 15-30. Nope - backhand slicer into the net, and he didn't quite get his feet right for that one, and when Simon fizzes a forehand out wide, Murray slips on the toasted turf to leave the gates unmanned. Ah, perfect return, like a hairy-headed Agassi reborn, and he'll have a break point - controlled all the way, won with sheer weight of shot pressure.
* Simon 1-4 Murray
Big hair from Simon, if you haven't seen him recently - it looks like he's backcombed it while wet and then run some Studio Line gel through it. Funk it spritz it etc. Rapid-fire hold from Murray, the first serve clicking like a dream. Stellar sporting talent returning to the Royal Box. Glenn Hoddle wouldn't miss this for the world.
Big hair from Simon, if you haven't seen him recently - it looks like he's backcombed it while wet and then run some Studio Line gel through it. Funk it spritz it etc. Rapid-fire hold from Murray, the first serve clicking like a dream. Stellar sporting talent returning to the Royal Box. Glenn Hoddle wouldn't miss this for the world.
Simon 1-3 Murray *
Young lad in the crowd there with a tartan Tam O'Shanter wedged on his head, a startling flush of fake ginger hair sticking out underneath. Is that official Wimbledon merchandise? Delicate fizzing lob from Murray to leave the Frenchman stranded with nose on tape, but Simon is finding his range with the groundstrokes - fine ding-dong, ended with a chase-down of a so-so Murray dropper for his first game of the match.
Young lad in the crowd there with a tartan Tam O'Shanter wedged on his head, a startling flush of fake ginger hair sticking out underneath. Is that official Wimbledon merchandise? Delicate fizzing lob from Murray to leave the Frenchman stranded with nose on tape, but Simon is finding his range with the groundstrokes - fine ding-dong, ended with a chase-down of a so-so Murray dropper for his first game of the match.
* Simon 0-3 Murray
One dashing return winner aside, Simon struggling against the Murray serve here - six unforced errors already, and his tactic of attacking the Murray second serve is brave but foolhardy so far. Let's have a look at the combatants' respective records on grass. Simon's win/loss ration is at 15:11, Murray's at 37-10. Auspicious.
One dashing return winner aside, Simon struggling against the Murray serve here - six unforced errors already, and his tactic of attacking the Murray second serve is brave but foolhardy so far. Let's have a look at the combatants' respective records on grass. Simon's win/loss ration is at 15:11, Murray's at 37-10. Auspicious.
Simon 0-2 Murray *
Dangerous player, Simon - his ranking is down at 32 this week, but that's as much to do with injury as anything else. Nervous start here though - forehand wide, backhand long, and there's a chance for an early break here - mmm, taken with ease. Ideal early exchanges for the British hope.
Dangerous player, Simon - his ranking is down at 32 this week, but that's as much to do with injury as anything else. Nervous start here though - forehand wide, backhand long, and there's a chance for an early break here - mmm, taken with ease. Ideal early exchanges for the British hope.
* Simon 0-1 Murray
They've met four times before, these two - on a tennis court, at least - with Murray leading the head-to-heads 3-1. Won the last three meetings too, although this is the first time they've played on grass. Splendid opening game from Murray, finding the line with a crisp backhand cross-court and landing all but one of his first serves to hold to 15.
They've met four times before, these two - on a tennis court, at least - with Murray leading the head-to-heads 3-1. Won the last three meetings too, although this is the first time they've played on grass. Splendid opening game from Murray, finding the line with a crisp backhand cross-court and landing all but one of his first serves to hold to 15.
* denotes next server
1900: Absolutely rammed out there on Henman Hill. Royal Box looking a touch empty, but I'm sure Sir Bobby, His Royal Hoyness and Sachin Tendulkar will be back shortly.
1855: Shadows across almost all of Centre now, just a small rhombus of bright sunlight in the corner under the VIP seats. Roof etiquette for you: they'll play for as long as they can in natural conditions, and if the match is still alive when the light fails, there'll be a half-hour delay while the roof comes over. And they won't play past 2230, whatever happens.
1850: Some desperate dashing going on from the Centre Court crowd. Sustenance and beverages are needed, toilet breaks an absolute essential, but the locker-room door is opening already - is that a Murray foot coming out?
1845: Let's get down to business. After another extraordinary five-setter on Centre (hats off Philipp Petzschner, standing ovation Rafa) we're finally ready for Andy Murray.
1843: Good afternoon, and welcome to the Pyramid Stage, where the Scissor Sisters will shortly be performi... what's that? I'm terribly sorry - I appear to have started the wrong text commentary.
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