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Local favorite and former Top 10 player Mardy Fish will square off against recent Rogers Cup winner Andy Murray in the 2nd round at the masters event held in Cincinnati.
Fish will retire after the US Open, but it seems the veteran American can still produce some vintage tennis on his best day. Playing only his 3rd singles match of the year, Fish defeated Troicki 6-2 6-2 in the first round here at Cincy. Sure, Troicki played a poor match, but credit to Fish for his serving performance (did not allow any breaks of serve) and he will surely be pumped up by his first win of the year – but this time around, he will meet a totally different caliber of opponent in Andy Murray.
The Brit (who had a bye in the 1st round) played his absolute best tennis for the first time in a long time last week, winning the Rogers Cup Masters and fully deserving it too. Murray lost a single set in the whole tournament and that was in the final against Djokovic, despite meeting some dangerous opponents along the way. Murray played well all season but now he`s finally back in Grand Slam winning form and needs to keep this up here in Cincy in order to protect his new No. 2 ranking, which could prove to be crucial come US Open.
The Head 2 Head is 4-4 (3-3 on hard), with Murray winning the last meeting in 2011. Of course, this is not relevant, as Fish is miles away from the level he had prior to his temporary retirement from tennis last season.
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Fish played a good game in the first round, but it`s not realistic to expect too much from him today – you just can`t come in and challenge a guy like Murray after playing 3 tennis matches in two years. Fish’s main weapon is his serve and that should be torn apart by one of the best returners in the world. If Murray puts pressure on the Fish serve – and he should do it easily – there`s not much the American can do. He`ll also be destroyed in the movement department. Andy will force him to run, hit another shot and Fish, who is still rusty, will eventually miss. I can see Fish keeping it decent in the first set, but in the second he will likely fold – after all he hasn`t played consecutive matches since exactly 2 years and against Murray he will almost surely collapse physically as well.
Of course, one can expect Murray to come into this match a bit fatigued and relaxed after last week’s triumph, but I don`t think that`s entirely the case. Sure, he won`t be at 100% probably, but he doesn`t need it against Mardy. But I can see Andy being focused, he needs to perform well here in order to get the No.2 seed in the US Open, which is extremely important. And, all in all, the top guys are not prone to underperforming after a big win, like the lesser players are – their fitness and mental strength is on another level.
I expect a good match from Andy, nothing less, nothing more. He should read the Fish serve easily and one break per set should be well within the Brit’s reach. My tip is under 19,5 games and odds are dropping on this bet. Prediction: Mardy Fish – Andy Murray 4-6 2-6.
M Fish – A Murray ATP Cincinnati live streaming available for players at Bet365.com.
Pick: under 19,5 games
Odds: 1.86 @ Betsson
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 6.88
Event date: 19 August
