Miami Open presented by Itau

[CR4] Andy Murray (GBR) vs. [CR52] Dominic Thiem (AUT)

Thiem wanted the victory badly, yet try as he might, he could not hold on to the lead.  It looked promising after he won the first set.  When he evened the second set, one could almost believe that he would win this encounter; however, desire is not enough to guarantee victory.  The mental and physical toll of serving from behind and the extended rallies also impacted the outcome of this match. Already depleted from his previous match, Thiem had to go for his shots and win in straight sets if he wanted to defeat Murray this time around.  Yet, Murray wanted to win just as badly and spurred on by his own desire, he began to dictate play in the second set.  As the match progressed, Thiem began to falter from fatigue and was forced to go for lower percentage shots. He lost the timing on his strokes and shots that had previously been winners were now flying out or into the net.  In the end, Thiem had very little left in reserve and could not mount a comeback despite his desire. The score never tells the full story, but Murray worked hard to gain the 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory against the determined Austrian.