Andy Murray tops Juan Martin del Potro, wins second-straight Olympic tennis gold
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Andy Murray saw off an upset bid from Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro Sunday to win his second consecutive singles tennis gold medal at the Olympics.
Murray, ranked No. 2 in the world, defended his title from four years ago with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 victory over underdog Del Potro, who is ranked 141st. Sunday’s match in Rio de Janeiro lasted over four hours.
Back in London in 2012, Murray took down Rodger Federer in straight sets for his first Olympic gold medal.
Murray won the first set Sunday despite initially blowing a 4-1 lead. He found the decisive breakthrough at 5-5. He held serve to take a 6-5 lead, then smashed a backhand down the line past Del Potro, who had come to the net, to convert the second of two set points.
Del Potro opened up the second set with a break, then held off Murray’s break attempt to go up 2-0. He rode that first game to a 6-4 second-set win to even the match at one set apiece.
But in the third set, Del Potro began to tire. After holding serve to get to 2-2, his movements became more labored and his legs dragged as Murray won the next four games to move into a two-sets-to-one lead.
Fatigue set in for both players in the form of unforced errors in the fourth. Both competed in the doubles tournament in Rio as well, and the effects of the packed schedule showed.
Del Potro broke Murray to open the set, but a brilliant Murray backhand drop shot in deuce of the second game evened things at 1. Del Potro was serving for the set at 5-4, but couldn’t put away Murray in deuce, and the Brit got back to 5-5.
On multiple occasions, Del Potro leaned over the net in exhaustion after lost points. He mounted a valiant break attempt at 5-5, but Murray saved two break points, the second with an ace, then put away the game in deuce to go up 6-5.
With Del Potro serving to send the fourth to a tiebreak, Murray couldn’t take advantage of his first match point in deuce. But he won the second to clinch gold.
Del Potro had been the story of the men’s singles tournament in Rio ever since his first-round upset of World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. Then, after victories over Joao Sousa, Taro Daniel and Roberto Bautista Agut, he knocked off World No. 5 Rafael Nadal in the semifinal.
Del Potro was the defending Olympic bronze medalist. At the 2012 Games in London, the Argentine fell in the semis to Rodger Federer in an epic four-hour, 26-minute match that was decided in a two-hour, 43-minute third set that finished 19-17.
The men’s Olympic singles final is the only match at the tournament that goes to five sets. The rest of the matches throughout the men’s competition go to three, as do all the matches on the women’s side.
Murray’s Olympic run included victories over American Steve Johnson, No. 22 in the world, and 7th-ranked Kei Nishikori of Japan in the semifinal. He also knocked out Viktor Troiki, Juan Monaco and Fabio Fognini.
Earlier on Sunday, Nishikori upset Spain’s Rafael Nadal to take bronze.
