Murray limps to win; Nadal coasts
Grimacing in pain with almost every step, Andy Murray nearly quit because of a back spasm Thursday in the French Open in Paris.
Instead, the fourth-seeded Brit rebounded from an awful first set to beat Jarkko Nieminen 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 and reach the third round.
“I was a few points probably from stopping,” Murray said. “I just didn’t really want to stop the match. Then at the end of the second set, I started standing up at the change of ends, and my back started to loosen up a little bit.”
Defending champion Rafael Nadal also made it to the third round, defeating Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan 6-2, 6-2, 6-0 and improving his record at Roland Garros to 47-1.
“First set I think was good level,” Nadal said. “Second one was good at the end, but in the middle of the set I had some problems with my serve, two break points in two games.”
Istomin didn’t convert either, of course. He then won even fewer points — five in the six games — in the final set.
The win was Nadal’s 47th in 48 matches at Roland Garros. His only loss came in 2009, when Robin Soderling beat him in the fourth round.
Besides that blip, Nadal has won six French Open titles, and one more will break the record he shares with Bjorn Borg.
But Nadal, the No. 2 seed, isn’t ready to sit back and relax. There are improvements to make.
“The serve is the first one. I think I improved the level of my serve during the match, but I started the match serving bad,” Nadal said.
“For the rest, more or less I have to be happy.”
Murray could barely walk when the first match of the day started on Court Philippe Chatrier, gingerly trotting around the red clay with the equivalent of a big target on his back. Nieminen took advantage.
But after losing the first four games, Murray called for a trainer. He then broke back to 4-1 and needed more treatment during the changeover.
It was then he started to consider retiring from the match.
“It was around that period, end of the first set, and then when I played a couple more games,” Murray said. “Then I was thinking whether to keep playing or not. “I’m happy I did.” Despite being broken to open the second set, Murray started to move better and make his shots count. By the time he broke back for 4-4, Murray was the one getting stronger.
“I should have taken a double-break to have taken the second set,” Nieminen said. “I couldn’t take that, and then I played one very poor changeover, two bad games, and then he started to play better.
“I really never got the momentum back.”
No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France and No. 6 David Ferrer of Spain advanced.
Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova reached the third round by beating Urszula Radwanska of Poland 6-1, 6-3. The fourthseeded Czech never was really troubled on Court Suzanne Lenglen, saving all three break points she faced.
Kvitova secured her first Grand Slam tournament singles title at Wimbledon last year, then won the WTA Championships. Although she has yet to win a title in 2012, she is seeded fourth in Paris and is expected to go deep into the tournament.
“I don’t have any expectation. I know that last season was great for me, and it will be very tough to have a similar result as last year,” Kvitova said. “So I know this season will be very tough with the pressure and with everything else.”
Defending champion Li Na easily advanced by beating Stephanie Foretz Gacon of France 6-0, 6-2.
Caroline Wozniacki also made it through. The ninthseeded Dane, who last year spent all but one week as the No. 1-ranked player in the world, beat Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia 6-1, 6-4.
Wozniacki still is looking for her first Grand Slam singles title. At Roland Garros, she has never been past the quarterfinals, losing at that stage in 2010.
Francesca Schiavone, the 2010 French Open champion and runner-up last year, defeated Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria 2-6, 6-3, 6-1.