Jerzy Janowicz was feeling it. After breaking Andy Murray early in the third set of their Wimbledon semifinal Friday, he held serve with authority, thumping an ace to go up, 4-1. With the light beginning to dwindle, he was two games from taking a two-sets-to-one lead, and he knew the roof over Centre Court would have to be closed for the match to continue. To that point, Janowicz was weaving a potent spell of powerful serving, aggressive baseline play and deft drop shots to keep Murray from finding a rhythm.
At 1-4, Murray played a nearly flawless service game, with two aces and two wicked kick serves that Janowicz could not handle. Four quick points with four superb serves. It was a quick game and Murray had drawn closer without having to hit one ball after his serve. The speed with which Murray held serve was a subtle sign that his energy had risen. Murray's quick hold gave him hope at a critical point in the match.
Murray's game plan on his return game was to block Janowicz's monstrous first serve with a simple chip return. On second serves he would look to get a fuller swing at the ball, but he wanted to make the 6-foot-8 Janowicz work hard on his serve every game. At 2-4, Murray clawed his way to 30-30, and here he benefited from a bit of luck as his forehand clipped the tape, hopped almost straight up, then fell just a few inches over the net for a winner that gave him a break point. When Murray converted to get back on serve, Janowicz looked bewildered at his sudden change of fortune that ended in a 7-6 (2), 4-6, 4-6, 3-6 loss.
But as telling a difference in this match was the number of points won on second serves. Murray, despite an average second serve speed of 83 miles per hour, managed to win 71 percent of points on his second serve, 24 of 34 points. By contrast, Janowicz won only 27 of 58 points (47 percent) on his second serve, even though his average speed was 108 m.p.h.
Murray did not go for a huge return on second serves (match point notwithstanding, when Murray timed a forehand return winner) but instead kept a relentless pressure on the powerful and dangerous Janowicz. The Murray mantra was: make him play, get every return possible back in play. It's an unflashy but important way that Murray wins on grass. At last summer's Olympics, there was a point late in the third set of his final against Roger Federer when he had returned every one of Federer's serves, a quietly stunning accomplishment against one of the game's best servers.
For Janowicz, a 22-year-old from Poland, this Wimbledon signals his arrival on the game's biggest stage. He has supplanted Milos Raonic and Grigor Dimitrov as the rising young star who perhaps has what it takes to win a Grand Slam. His blend of touch and power, and his fearless on court demeanor, make him a dangerous threat on any surface.
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