LONDON, June 25 (Reuters)
Sat Jun 25, 2005 9:32 PM BST

Wimbledon-Nalbandian ends Murray’s challenge
By Pritha Sarkar
Argentina’s David Nalbandian clawed back from two sets down for the first
time in his career on Saturday to spike the challenge of British wildcard
Andrew Murray 6-7 1-6 6-0 6-4 6-1 and reach the Wimbledon fourth round.
Former finalist Nalbandian looked to be heading towards the exit after
Murray turned the weight of British expectation to his advantage to grab a
4-2 lead in the fourth set.
But the 18th seed fought back defiantly and used all his experience against
the 18-year-old ranked 312 in the world and who was playing in only his
seventh match on the main tour.
After Nalbandian had levelled the match at two sets apiece, a cramping
Murray, who needed courtside treatment before the start of the fifth set,
ran out of steam and bowed out following three hours and 13 minutes of high
drama on Centre Court.
Although Murray walked out of the famed arena with the sound of deafening
applause ringing in his ears, there was no masking his disappointment.
“He played very good and it was very tough for me in the beginning but I
knew if I could win the fourth, I would win the match,” said Nalbandian.
“He lost this match because of his physical problems and needs to work on
that.”
Murray’s exit also left Britain without a singles competitor in the second
week of the grasscourt championships for the first time since 1991.
For more than 2-1/2 hours, though, Murray looked to be on the brink of
causing another spectacular upset just two days after swatting aside 14th
seed Radek Stepanek.
NOISY FANS
Roared on by the boisterous fans packed into the most famous stage in
grasscourt tennis, the Dunblane teenager left the Argentine shell-shocked
with the ferocity of his groundstrokes.
The moment Murray sealed a two-set lead, the crowd, including actor and
fellow Scot Sean Connery, leapt to their feet to roar their approval.
Murray appeared to take a breather in the third set before once again
turning on the heat in the fourth.
But Nalbandian, sensing Murray’s fatigue, refused to lie down.
He crunched winners past the young Scot to pull back to 4-4 and kept his eye
on the ball to save three more break points in the next game.
That appeared to take the fight out of Murray and his lanky frame let him
down.
Murray’s hopes faded into the twilight and he bowed out with a forehand
error on match point.
“My legs were knackered, I just couldn’t move towards the end. I was annoyed
I couldn’t keep going in the fifth set. My leg just went because I was so
tired,” he said.
The Argentine will run into another teenager on Monday, France’s Richard
Gasquet, as he aims to reach the last eight for the first time since his
runner-up finish in 2002.