Andy Murray confessed this week that he rarely watches brother Jamie play for fear of jinxing his matches. “It’s probably not the case, but it feels as though when I watch him, he loses,” the world No.3 wrote in an online column.
With the 2013 Wimbledon champion nowhere in sight on Tuesday, his older sibling Jamie Murray stormed into the Gentlemen’s Doubles semi-finals for the first time in his career together with partner John Peers.
Only the day before, the British/Australian duo had upended defending champions and No. 3 seeds Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock in a five-set thriller that took almost three-and-a-half hours to complete.
On Tuesday the men needed only three sets and an hour and 50 minutes to see off Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares, the eighth seeds, 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-3.
I've lost a lot of matches when [Andy] hasn't been there. He can watch if he wants!
“We played really well today, I think we played a solid match,” Murray said. “It wasn’t amazingly spectacular or anything like that but we served really well, we got our returns in at the right time.”
The doubles team first joined forces three years ago after the Australian Open but Murray believes they are finally hitting form and described their results at this tournament as a "good breakthrough''.
“We’ve beaten a lot of the top teams over the last couple of years, I think we’ve been going in the right direction over the last 18 months and to be honest I think we deserve to be where we are and hopefully that’s a springboard for us to try and get to this level more often,” he said.
Watched by mother Judy, the men enjoyed the support of a largely patriotic crowd, which did not go unnoticed by Melburnian Peers.
“It’s good, every time I walk out with Jamie. The crowd’s always on your side, so for me I sort of get two home Grand Slams which is nice,” he admitted. The men will now face Jonathan Erlich and Philipp Petzschner, who upset the No.2 seeds Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4.
Will younger brother Andy be allowed to watch that contest? “I’ve lost a lot of matches when he hasn’t been there,” Jamie laughed. “He can watch if he wants.”
Elsewhere, fourth seeded Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau moved into the last four with a 6-4, 6-3 7-6(2) victory over No.7 seeds Nenad Zimonjic and Marcin Matkowski.
Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea produced the biggest shock of the day when they triumphed 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(9), 7-6 (5) over top seeds Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan. Mergea closed out the match on an ace – one of 17 produced by the Romanian-Indian pairing during the two hour, 35 minute tussle.
