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By Piers Newbery
Murray 5-4 Gulbis ***
Murray edges ahead but it’s not the most comfortable of games as Gulbis connects with a couple of huge backhands.* Murray 4-4 Gulbis**
Both players are hitting the ball very well from the baseline and for the moment it’s Gulbis who is holding the edge, as he’s prepared to go for his shots a little more. For now, they’re landing in, and he’s back on level terms.Murray 4-3 Gulbis ***
Gulbis opens with a couple of decent backhands to get to 15-30. Murray then plays a cagey rally, trying to draw the mistake, but Gulbis makes him pay with a fabulous backhand winner down the line and it’s two break points… and he then hammers a forehand down the other flank to break back. That’s why everyone calls him “the talented Latvian”.* Murray 4-2 Gulbis**
Gulbis goes for way too much with a forehand down the line and follows up with another snatched effort and it’s 30-30, the first half-chance of the night. Murray chips a serve back and Gulbis does exactly the same again, smacking a forehand long for break point… and a fourth successive dodgy forehand gives up the break. That’s why he’s 95 in the world.**Murray 3-2 Gulbis ***
We get the first decent rally of the night with Murray at 40-30 and the Scot calmly pushes Gulbis into the corner and sticks away the resulting smash. Ana Ivanovic is having a tough time against Kateryna Bondarenko at a break down in the decider.
0210: “Piers, please can you write a note to my boss, excusing me for my probable late arrival and lacklustre performance at work in the morning Ta!”
From Cogen via text*** Murray 2-2 Gulbis**
Gulbis hits ace number three as he levels things up and not a hint of nerves yet from the Latvian. Meanwhile, Ivan Navarro has pulled off a major shock with a straight-sets win over Ivo Karlovic, and with Wawrinka losing just now that’s two big names out of Murray’s path to the latter stages. If he can beat Gulbis, that is…Murray 2-1 Gulbis ***
Murray wallops down ace number four as he holds to love and this is all a bit Sampras-Ivanisevic. I can’t keep up.* Murray 1-1 Gulbis**
Gulbis races through a highly impressive love hold.Murray 1-0 Gulbis ***
Murray opens with a solid service game, although Gulbis gives a little glimpse of his power with one raking forehand that he backs up with a deft volley. Murray outdoes him with a killer drop volley to take the game. My prediction Straight sets Murray.
**** denotes Next server*
0157: “Nice quick match please, i have to be awake at half 7. Prediction Piers”
From anon via text****0157: “I want 5 sets. I’m night shift and finish at 5am”
From Kingy, East Calder, via text****0154: Gulbis and Murray knock up energetically and still look remarkably alike to my eyes. The Latvian is a big-hitter but has not been in great form recently. Where The Streets Have No Name accompanies the knock-up, I have no idea why.
0148: Gulbis and Murray stride out onto Arthur Ashe Stadium, and I’d say Murray will get a boost with the news that Wawrinka has just lost in five sets to Lapentti and Karlovic is hanging on against Navarro - the Spaniard just had a match point.BBC Radio 5 live’s David Law tweeting from Flushing Meadows:](http://twitter.com/5livetennis)"Tarango is on the premises. Going live on 5Live shortly: Murray v Gulbis. Pre-match meal of ribs. Pre-match nerves lingering. Let’s go."0148: “Come on muzza straight sets win please so i can get back to sleep zzzzz.”
From MGK via text****0145: And I’m back in the room… here we go, Andy Murray v Ernests Gulbis. As you should surely know by now, Murray leads their head-to-head 3-0 and gave Gulbis a bit of a whupping at Wimbledon a matter of weeks ago. Gulbis is a year younger than Murray at 21 and generally referred to as “the talented Latvian…” although that is more to do with the impressive start to his career, and he’s since slipped to 95 in the rankings. Murray, meanwhile, has jumped to number two, in case you didn’t know.