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Reginald Brace at Wimbledon: Murray makes masterful amends for earlier disappointment
As the dust settled on an all too familiar exodus of British players from the first round at Wimbledon it was time for patriots to seek solace with our two survivors from the original 11 in the main draw, Andy Murray and Elena Baltacha.
Seek but not find, in the display of Baltacha which did nothing to bolster the sagging image of the LTA.
On paper she had a decent chance of boosting national morale against Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens with a similar world ranking – 106 against 110 – and the assurance of fervent support from a packed audience around Court Four.
Sadly the contest followed a well-worn scenario; early promise, high excitement and then a demoralising slump into defeat, this time 5-7 1-6 after a fleeting 3-1 lead in the first set. Somebody ought to rewrite the plots for these British performances. It's all getting too predictable.
It is difficult to establish what went wrong for Baltacha from
3-1. She was making all the right moves until then with strong driving from the baseline supported by a penetrative serve. Flipkens seemed in danger of being blown away.
Then the doubts began to creep in. Why do so many British players regard early dominance as a cause for anxiety rather than an incentive? There is no simple answer but the fact is that Baltacha won only three more games from 3-1.
Flipkens had more variety of shot when it mattered and when the balance of the contest began to swing her way she did not spurn it.
Suddenly we were reminded that she was the ITF Junior World Champion in 2003 when she won both the Wimbledon and US Open junior titles. The class is still there.
It took Murray to send the crowd home happy.
With 10 of our 11 singles players now on the sidelines spirits were in need of a lift and his 6-2 7-5 6-3 defeat of the Latvian Ernests Gulbis was the perfect antidote to widespread gloom in SW19 and the nation at large.
This was a magnificent performance by a player who is an increasingly impressive contender for the men's title which has eluded Britain since Fred Perry's third triumph in 1936.
It would have been easy for Murray to be inhibited by the pressure of expectation but this was a cool, calculated demolition job.
If an opening was there Murray took it; if a ball had to be chased he pursued it; his serving was relentless in its accuracy and power. It was an object lesson on how to crush an opponent who could have been dangerous given a glimmer of hope.
Britain might be down to one player in the singles at Wimbledon, but what a player. Andy Murray showed a champion's credentials last night. But let's not forget that we are only in the first week of a tournament which is notorious for its twists, turns and heartbreak.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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