Friday, February 28, 2014

Murray escapes to victory, Ferrer retires in Acapulco

Fri Feb 28, 2014 3:49am EST





<span id="articleText"/>(Reuters) - Andy Murray rallied from a set and a break down against Gilles Simon to advance to his first semi-final since he won last year's Wimbledon title while top seed David Ferrer retired with a thigh strain at the Acapulco International on Thursday.



<span id="midArticle_0"/>Second seed Murray twice fell behind in the second set but recovered both breaks immediately to eke out a 1-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 victory and stretch a winning streak against his French opponent to 12 matches.



<span id="midArticle_1"/>"In all the matches so far this week, I have not started very well," the world number seven told reporters, conceding he did not know what was to blame for his tardy openings.



<span id="midArticle_2"/>"I lost my first service game in every match and that has not helped because my opponents have gained confidence and played very good tennis.



<span id="midArticle_3"/>"It's not easy starting every match from behind. I managed to turn the game at the end of the second set, started to play a little bit better. I was making sure I was not making so many unforced errors," the Scot added.



<span id="midArticle_4"/>"I found a way to win the match even though I was feeling I was not playing my best tennis. I'm glad that I managed to do that.



<span id="midArticle_5"/>"Maybe I just try and warm-up better, maybe practice a little bit closer to the matches."



<span id="midArticle_6"/>Murray's semi-finals opponent will be Grigor Dimitrov, who needed two hours and 40 minutes to battle past Ernests Gulbis 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 7-5 in the final quarter-final match of the day on Cancha Central.



<span id="midArticle_7"/>An injury to his left abductor muscle denied Ferrer a chance of registering a fifth straight final appearance.



<span id="midArticle_8"/>The three-time champion won the first set 6-2 but was 4-2 down in the second when he retired against South African fifth seed Kevin Anderson, who moves on to face Ukraine's Alexandr Dolgopolov in the last four.



<span id="midArticle_9"/>(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty; Editing by John O'Brien)



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