Berdych Beats Murray For Quarter-Final Berth Against Youzhny

© Getty ImagesTomas Berdych has reached the Roland Garros quarter-finals for the first time.

Czech Tomas Berdych, the No. 15 seed, knocked out fourth seed Andy Murray of Scotland 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 in their rain-interrupted clash at Roland Garros on Sunday, which finished in fading light at 9:34 p.m. local time. Berdych will next meet No. 11 seed Mikhail Youzhny of Russia in the quarter-finals.

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Murray saved six break points, before Berdych finally broke serve in the seventh game when Murray hit a backhand into the net. He went on to clinch the 31-minute opener with a drop shot winner.

The 24-year-old Berdych took a 2-0 lead in the second set, before Murray responded by winning three straight games. Light rain began to fall in the seventh game, which Murray won with a forehand winner and two aces for a 4-3 lead before conditions became unplayable at 8:03 p.m. local time.

Just as the tarpaulin covers settled on Court Suzanne Lenglen, the rain shower stopped and the duo was able to begin play 36 minutes later. At 5-5, Murray fell to 15/40 and Berdych hit a backhand crosscourt winner off a second serve to clinch the break. Berdych took a two-sets-to-love lead with a service hold to 15.

With the light fading, Murray dropped to 30/40 at 3-3 with his third double fault of the match. The Scot miss-timed a forehand and Berdych won the next two games for victory in two hours and 16 minutes.

Berdych, who is yet to lose a set in the French capital this year, is riding a seven-match winning streak. A runner-up to Andy Roddick at the Sony Ericsson Open, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament in Miami, the Czech improved to a 29-10 match record on the season.

French male hopes came to an end on Sunday at Roland Garros as No. 8 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was forced to retire with a back injury after losing the first set 6-2 to Youzhny.

The 27-year-old Youzhny is through to the Roland Garros quarter-finals for the first time and will contest his first Grand Slam quarter-final since reaching the last eight at the 2008 Australian Open (l. to Tsonga). The Muscovite’s best result at a major came when he advanced to the semi-finals at the 2006 US Open (l. to Roddick).

Youzhny had mixed results in the lead up to Roland Garros, winning his sixth ATP World Tour title in Munich (d. Cilic), but only winning one match in his three other clay-court outings.

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