Tomas Berdych punished a wayward performance from Andy Murray to win 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-3 and reach the semifinals of the Monte Carlo Masters on Friday.
The third-seeded Murray was struggling for most of the match, saving seven break points including four set points to edge a tight first set that Berdych let slip.
Murray varied his game to try to stem the Czech’s momentum but overly used the drop shot, and the sixth-seeded Berdych came back strongly to break Murray’s serve twice in the second set and another three times in the third.
Berdych clinched victory on his first match point with another forehand pass that had Murray rooted to the spot. He next faces either top-ranked Novak Djokovic or unseeded Robin Haase.
Keywords: Monte Carlo Masters
