Murray hails busy Lopez as Queen's Club glory beckons
June 22, 2019 20:53 MYT
Andy Murray saluted his "unbelievable" partner Feliciano Lopez after setting up a shot at doubles glory at the Queen's Club Championships.
It was a busy enough day for Murray, as he and Lopez first finished off a quarter-final match before coming through a punishing semi-final.
They saw off the British combination of Dan Evans and Ken Skupski before knocking over a grand slam-winning doubles duo in Australian John Peers and Finn Henri Kontinen.
But for Spaniard Lopez it was the most gruelling of Saturdays, as he also had a singles semi-final that he won in three tough sets against emerging Canadian talent Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Teaming up with Murray this week has brought the very best out of Lopez, who at the age of 37 has suffered both with injuries and a succession of early defeats at events this year.
Murray said: "It was an unbelievable effort from 'Feli'. He's played a lot of tennis in the last couple of days.
Peers and Kontinen won the Australian Open in 2017 and presented Murray and Lopez with daunting opposition, so the 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 10-7 victory is another step forward, particularly for the Briton, who is returning to action this week from hip surgery.
4:07pm: starts singles SF 6:23pm: wins singles SF 6:44pm: resumes doubles QF 6:57pm: wins doubles QF 7:08pm: starts doubles SF 8:51pm: wins doubles SF Time for a rest, @feliciano_lopez! #QueensTennis pic.twitter.com/oywToBW6EF
— Fever-Tree Championships (@QueensTennis) June 22, 2019
While Murray is slowly getting his career back on track, Lopez is enjoying his rejuvenation in London.
Asked how he felt physically, Lopez told the BBC: "I don't really know - of course I'm tired.
"I've been playing a lot this week, and this year I haven't played much because I was injured at the start of the year so I haven't played two or three matches in a row for six months.
"So my body feels a little bit sore but [I will be] ready for Sunday."
Murray and Lopez will face veteran American Rajeev Ram and his British partner Joe Salisbury for the title - but Lopez plays singles first, with France's Gilles Simon his opponent in that final.