Quarter-final result:

A MURRAY (GB) v N DAVYDENKO (Rus)

5-7 3-6

606: DEBATE Your thoughts on the action

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By Phil Harlow

Second set:

Thanks for all your cake/hair chat throughout. Sorry Andy lost, but that's tennis for you.

I'm off to work on the report now, before nipping off for a sandwich.

All the best.

Murray 5-7 4-6 Davydenko
That's it, game over.

Davydenko goes 30-0 up after a Murray mistake and a fierce overhead. Another winner gives him three match points and a tame misplaced drop shot from Murray hands the game to his opponent. Not clever stuff from the Scot.

Murray 5-7 4-5 Davydenko
Murray does the necessary and will at least make Davydenko serve for the match, if that is what ends up happening. Can he find the form he showed at the start of this set?

Murray 5-7 3-5 Davydenko
Davydenko is playing the better stuff, no question. Murray has it all to do from here, and will have to hold serve in the next game to stay alive in this match.

1327: "If Murray lets his hair down and pushes through to win that will be the icing on the cake for me."
Paddy, Oxford via text

"Will Murray make Davydenko have his cake and eat it?"
Kevin, Wigan via text

The great British public in full flow. A great sight.

Murray 5-7 3-4 Davydenko
Davydenko is swinging at everything and a beautiful forehand return gives him a break point.

Murray saves it to move to deuce but is then left furious with himself as an unforced error gives Davydenko another. This time there is no reprieve as a backhand into the net puts Davydenko a break up.

Where on earth has the Murray serve that did for Roger Federer gone? Has someone stolen it? Murray really is struggling on his first serve.

1317: "I'm allergic to flour and have alopecia. This is something of a parallel universe to me."
Iain, Edinburgh via text (another cake/hair angle to think about)

Sorry to hear that Iain. Terrible bad luck.

Murray 5-7 3-3 Davydenko
Murray is more dangerous on Davydenko's serve than his own at the moment. He wins a break point but a horribly overhit backhand from the back of the court sees the chance disappear.

More chances come and go for both players in a lengthy game of deuce after deuce, but davydenko eventually makes it count and levels the scores in this set.

1312: "My wife won third prize for her cake and she was the only entrant."
Ray from Polegate via text (more cake chat)

Murray 5-7 3-2 Davydenko
Andy, Andy, Andy... he hands the break back to Davydenko with some poor shot selection totally undermining his own chances. We're back on serve and will have to see how Murray reacts to this setback.

This match is warming up now, although the camera shots of the elderly gentleman sound asleep in the stands don't really help.

Murray 5-7 3-1 Davydenko
Another game of just four points as Davydenko gets on the board in this set by holding to love, with a lovely backhand on the run sealing the game. This set could be a fair bit quicker than the first if they keep this pace up.

1303: "I like cake. I have hair."
Abo from Oakworth via text

You're in the right place then, Abo. (see below for random cake and hair references)

Murray 5-7 3-0 Davydenko
have some of that, Nikolay. Murray now holds to love to take total control of this set. it's absolutely swung in his favour in the space of two or three minutes.

Murray 5-7 2-0 Davydenko
Hello. Murray bursts back into the match as he breaks Davydenko's serve to love. Maybe getting the hump will work after all.

Murray 5-7 1-0 Davydenko
Murray is getting pretty wound up, resolutely refusing to take djlovesyou's advice (see below).

But he does enough to take the first game of the second set with some decent shots from the back of the court.

First set:

1256: "If Murray can keep his head he can come back. Davydenko won't keep hitting the lines forever."
djlovesyou on 606

1255: "My daughter won second prize for her cake at our fete. Nobody told her there were only two entrants."
Dave from Bristol, via text

Let's just keep it between you and me, Dave. That way nobody gets hurt.

Murray 5-7 Davydenko
Murray goes 30-0 up on Davedenko's serve as he desperately tries to stay in the match, but three errors in quick succession level the scores at 30-30.

Murray seems to be saying the odd naughty word too and shouting out something else unintelligible to the heavens. A quality Murray forehand brings up deuce, but Davydenko holds his nerve under pressure and serves out the game to take the first set in 61 minutes.

The key stat from the set would appear to be first serve percentages - Murray's is 59% while Davydenko's a massive 83%. I'm no tennis coach, but I would certainly be looking at that if I were Murray.

Murray 5-6 Davydenko
A badly timed wobble from Murray, who is showing all the signs of a brewing tantrum.

Davydenko forces him to deuce and earns himself a break point with an athletic overhead into the corner of the court. And a forehand into the net from Murray hands the first break of the match to the Russian.

1242: "The judge disqualified an Italian cake baker at our gala day after it was found that the cake was from Tesco."
Martin from Glasgow, via text (see various cake chat below)

Murray 5-5 Davydenko
Another service hold for Davydenko as Murray struggles to put the Russian's serve under significant pressure.

1235: "Anything to tell us about the umpire's or line judges' hair?"
Douglas, London via text (see 1220 entry)

Douglas - haven't caught the line judges so far, but the umpire has a fairly straightforward short back and sides. Not huge scope for banter there.

Murray 5-4 Davydenko
Murray eases 40-0 up before slightly losing balance as he attempts a slightly awkward overhead smash to seal the game.

No matter, the next point sees Murray do the necessary and hold onto his serve.

1232: "The third place battle at our bakewell competition is often a ding dong affair."
Ian, via text (see 3-3 entry)

Murray 4-4 Davydenko
Davydenko shows his volleying skills at the net with a couple of delicate shots that give Murray no chance.

Bit of a ricket from the umpire as he over-rules from the chair only for Murray to challenge and be proved right by the Hawk Eye computer. Still, it makes no difference to the end result as Davydenko again holds serve.

Murray 4-3 Davydenko
Murray holds serve again, but this is very much a grind at the minute. The players seem to be struggling to rouse themselves out of a mid-afternoon slumber.

1220: "Lets have some atmosphere and hair comments. Come on Andy!"
Mike in Edinburgh, via text

Mike - I'm sorry to say that there is not a great deal of atmosphere so far. As for hair, both players are wearing hats so there's not even a lot of chat potential there either.

Murray 3-3 Davydenko
Not sure what has got into the crowd in Dubai so far - valium perhaps? - but this match has all the atmosphere and cutting edge of the battle for third prize in the village fete cherry bakewell competition.

Davydenko holds to love with some powerful serving keeping Murray on the back foot.

Murray 3-2 Davydenko
Some great court coverage from Murray as he chases down a Daveydenko volley, and an ace puts him 40-30 up. Davydenko just gets a racket to Murray's serve but can do no more than bobble the ball into the bottom of the net.

Murray 2-2 Davydenko
Murray comes back from 30-0 behind to go 40-30 up before a fine Davydenko volley sets up deuce.

But the Scot lets a couple of half-chances slip and Davydenko holds again. Neither player is hitting the heights just yet.

Murray 2-1 Davydenko
Not quite so sure about that "encouraging signs" chat. Murray throws together a horrible string of shots to go 40-15 down on his own serve.

On the positive side, he fights back to seal the game after four deuces but he is going to have to liven himself up pretty quickly. His predilection for ill-advised drop shots shows no signs of abating, despite his struggles in yesterday's match against Fernando Verdasco. Some people never learn. The youth of today...

Murray 1-1 Davydenko
Murray correctly challenges a Davydenko serve called in to give himself the first break point of the match, but an efficient and composed response sees the Russian win three quick points to hold serve.

Still some encouraging signs for Murray in the early stages.

Murray 1-0 Davydenko
Murray gets off to a solid start with a comfortable service hold against the world number five. The stands are not exactly packed at the Dubai Tennis Centre, and the atmosphere is a little flat. Let's hope Murray can retain his focus.

1140: Right then, we're just about ready to get under way.

1130: Andy Murray and Nikolay Davydenko are out on court in Dubai, going through their pre-match routines.