Final chance: Andy Murray will defend his Rogers Cup title Andy Murray has always been an independent type and the style he showed in beating world No1 Rafael Nadal last night suggested he is revelling in his new-found solo role.
The Briton, who split with coach Miles Maclagan last month, recorded a rare straight-sets victory over the Spaniard to progress to the final of the Rogers Cup in Toronto.
It is the second final he has reached since taking charge of his own tuition, and if this 6-3, 6-4 victory is any indication of things to come, the search for a new coach will be left on the back burner.
Murray was in no rush to make an appointment before he landed in Canada for the ATP Masters, and his form in the latter stages of the competition may mean the pace of the search slows further.
The British No1 had claimed his quarter-final victory over the in-form David Nalbandian was his best since making the final of the Australian Open in January.
But his dismantling of Nadal, as he avenged their recent semi-final meeting at Wimbledon and looked towards the US Open, was even better.
'Rafa has had an unbelievable season,' said Murray. 'To win against him in the first big, hard-court tournament was a big boost.
'I played really well and didn't make too many errors. I dictated from the back of the court and, with each match, I am starting to play better and better.'
Murray never allowed Nadal to settle into a rhythm during a win that ensured he kept his ranking as world No4.
Agony: Rafa Nadal lost in straight setsHe opened with a double fault, and his first-serve success was not at the level he would have liked - but there was little else to criticise in a performance of power and energy.
The 23-year-old first broke to go 5-3 up in the opener and then held his serve in emphatic fashion, hammering down three straight aces before taking the set. Murray had to break twice in the second as Nadal's infamous fighting qualities showed, but he never lost control of the contest and comfortably served out the match.
Murray has accepted the responsibility of his situation and found a more aggressive approach than the sometimes attritional one he is so expert at.
Against Nalbandian that meant going for his shots and his backhand again looked in good shape against Nadal.
Mutual respect: Rafael Nadal congratulates Andy MurrayMurray has the support of his mother, the former LTA coach of the year Judy, and may well be taking advantage of her scouting and opponent- analysis skills.
Nadal had held the upper hand in eight of their 11 previous matches and won easily at Wimbledon, so this victory in one hour and 44 minutes left Murray in an understably positive state of mind.
That should do him no harm as he tries to defend his Toronto title against either Roger Federer or second seed Novak Djokovic, who played out their semi-final in the early hours of this morning.
At the pinnacle of the hard court season in New York, Murray's lone approach will face its sternest test against former world No1 Andy Roddick.
The American, who pulled out of the Toronto Masters, has blamed a virus for his recent fitness problems but expects to be back in good shape for the US Open.
Roddick lost to Frenchman Gilles Simon in the recent Washington Classic third round and complained afterwards of feeling lethargic.
But the 27-year-old will compete in next week's Cincinnati Masters after tests showed he had been suffering from mononucleosis, a viral illness.
Roddick said: 'I pulled out last week on the advice of doctors. I got some blood work done in Washington, and then in Texas, and one of them came back positive. I've been dealing with a mild, mild case of mono for the past couple of months that I wasn't really sure about.
'They think I'm fine now. It's kind of a mental relief, opposed to wondering why I was out of shape.'
Roddick, the 2003 US Open champion, won in Brisbane this year and was playing well until March but has since slipped outside the top 10 in the world rankings.
source: dailymail
