Scot Andy Murray celebrated his birthday with a gritty victory over tricky Austrian left-hander Jurgen Melzer to reach the quarter-finals of the Rome Masters tournament yesterday.
Murray, who was 27 yesterday, was broken in the opening game and faced several other nervy moments but managed to take the first set to a tiebreak, where he won 15 of the next 16 points to gain a stranglehold on the contest.
Despite being a set and a break down, Melzer hit back, although Murray was equal to the challenge and closed out a 7-6 (7-1), 6-4 win to book a last-eight showdown with world number one and reigning champion Rafael Nadal, who beat 14th seed Mikhail Youzhny 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-1.
The Scot is starting to find some encouraging form as he bids to mount a challenge at the French Open this month.
Murray relishes the chance to play Nadal for the first time since 2011. The pair have met 18 times, with the Spaniard leading the head-to-head 13-5, including a straight sets win in their 2011 French Open semi- final. Yet, injuries to both players have kept them apart for their last couple of years but Murray welcomes the chance to renew their rivalry.
“It’s a great match for me with the French Open just around the corner because I’ll see where my game’s at,” Murray said.