TENNIS in DEPTH.

Andy Murray thrilled the 17,500 spectators at the O2 Arena as he demolished the Swede 6-2 6-4 in one hour and 20 minutes to take early command of Group B. It was a hugely encouraging way for the home favourite to begin the end-of-season championships as he found something close to his best form, in contrast to a surprisingly flat Soderling. Murray must still face Roger Federer and David Ferrer in the round-robin stage later in the week. But he will be confident of at least finishing in the top two and qualifying for Saturday’s semi-finals if he can maintain his initial form.

One thing we have learned from this match is that Soderling, for a player in the top five, cannot volley! He missed easy volleys time and time again to give Murray easy points, and it was so obviuosly a problem for the Swede that Murray continued to force him to come to the net knowing that he would either miss the volley or be set up for a pass.

Soderling arrived in London having overtaken Murray for fourth in the world rankings last week, brimming with confidence on the back of his first Masters victory in Paris, and in the knowledge that much of his best tennis has been played indoors, including a run to the semis at the O2 last year. With Soderling unable to find a single ace in the first set he was constantly under pressure on serve, and Murray stepped in to attack the Swede’s second serve for the double-break at 5-2 before wrapping up the set moments later with a magical, improvised drop shot. When Murray saw off a rare moment of danger at deuce early in the second set by returning a Soderling smash for a winner, the Swede looked as though he might call it quits and head for the locker room, but bit by bit he worked his way into the set. Soderling finally earned himself a break point in game six only to see a Murray ace whistle past him, and a missed second-serve return prompted an angry swipe at the air by the Swede as he failed to grab what would be his only chance of the match.

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