Andy Murray has the chance to become the first British player to reach the French Open championship match since Bunny Austin did it in 1937. Will he be able to accomplish that feat? Or will Stan Wawrinka show Murray why he’s the defending champion of the tournament?
Wawrinka may be the reigning and defending French Open champion, but that doesn’t mean he’s the chalk in this match against Murray. For the first time this tournament, Wawrinka will come in as the underdog. So for those looking for betting value, Wawrinka is among those that offers just that this late in the tournament.
Wawrinka was barely touched in his latest match, outclassing Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the quarterfinals for a semis-berth clinching 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 (9-7) victory. By beating Ramos-Vinolas, Wawrinka, 31, became the oldest player to reach the semis since 1985.
Against Ramos-Vinolas, Wawrinka won 78 percent of his first serves and had 40 winners. He garnered a tournament-low 106 points, though he really didn’t need a lot considering the short time he took care of the Spaniard.
Apart from being the defending champ, Wawrinka will draw confidence from the fact that he’s beaten Murray in each of their last three meetings. That includes a clay court match win back in 2013, when he eked out an easy 6-1 6-2 over the Brit in the Monte Carlo Masters.
Betting on Andy Murray
Murray has never won a French Open title. Heck, he hasn’t even been in the finals of this tournament. On his way to the semis, Murray defeated Richard Gasquet in a well-fought match in the quarterfinals for a 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-0, 6-2 win.
Murray won 74 percent of his first serves and produced a tournament-high 62 winners. Gasquet obviously couldn’t handle the Brit’s aggressiveness after a competitive second set which the Frenchman lost in a tiebreaker. With the victory over Gasquet, Murray has extended his win streak on clay matches to 10. Murray will look to stretch that to 11 against Wawrinka, against whom he has a slight 8-7 advantage in their career head-to-head matches.
The last time Murray beat Wawrinka, however, was back in 2012, when he earned a 6-2 3-6 6-2 victory in Tokyo (hardcourt).
Murray hasn’t won on clay in three career matches against Wawrinka, but as mentioned, has gotten better playing on the surface. Thus far this year, Murray is 12-2 in clay court matches.
