The singles draw at the Farmers Classic has followed suit, as Andy Murray, the No. 1 seed from Great Britain, defeated fourth-seeded Spaniard Feliciano Lopez Saturday night, 6-0, 1-6, 6-4 at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.
With the win, the Brit set up a date in Sunday’s final with No. 2 seed and defending champion Sam Querrey.
Murray ousted Lopez in a match that saw the momentum swing drastically from set to set.
After steamrolling Lopez in the first set, Murray experienced a reversal of fortune in the second set, as he was able to hold serve on just one occasion.
“The match was pretty up and down because I started very well and (Lopez) played badly in the first set,” Murray said after the match. “The second set was a reversal. I didn’t play that well and he was playing well. “¦ But when you haven’t played much, you can’t expect to play well every point.”
But when the third set began, Murray was able to break Lopez on the latter’s first service opportunity, and the Spaniard was unable to recover.
“It’s only a break, an early break in the first game,” Lopez said. “And then I couldn’t find a way to break him.”
Murray, who is currently ranked fourth in the world, has not played in a tournament since Wimbledon, where he lost to world No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the semifinals on July 2.
“I said after the first match and yesterday that when you haven’t played much over the last month, you won’t be particularly consistent,” Murray said. “I played some really good stuff, I played some bad stuff, and just did enough to win.”
Next up for the Brit is Querrey, who won the tournament title last year and is coming off of a thrilling comeback victory over Serbia’s Janko Tipsarevic.
Not only has Murray never lost to Querrey, he has never dropped a set against the American. The two last met at Wimbledon this year, with Murray winning 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.
“Returning has always been one of the stronger parts of my game,” Murray said when asked about his success against Querrey over the years. “I’ve been able to neutralize his serve pretty well. But it’s difficult because obviously, he does have a big serve and goes for his shots.”
One aspect that could affect tomorrow’s final is the home crowd, which will presumably be behind Querrey, who hails from Thousand Oaks. But Murray was quick to put to rest any notion that the crowd will affect his play.
“I’m sure the crowd will be good tomorrow,” Murray said. “The five or six years I’ve been on tour, I’ve played away from home against Americans in America, Spanish players in Spain; it’s just something you get used to, so it’s not going to be an issue.”
The final will take place at 2 p.m. and will be the fifth time in Farmers Classic history that the two top seeds will face off in the finals. In those matchups, the No. 1 seed has won three out of four times.