Andy Murray has admitted that he found it difficult to contend with the low bounce during his evening win over Gilles Simon at the Madrid Open.
The British number one survived a major scare, as he recovered from a set and a break down to eventually earn a 2-6 6-4 7-6 (8-6) victory and a place in the quarter-finals.
It was 1.15am local time when Murray finally converted match point, and the Scot believes that the lateness of the contest made conditions very awkward for him.
"It's very different playing in the evening, the ball doesn't bounce particularly high," Murray told Sky Sports News. "He was taking my time away and hitting close to the lines and making it very difficult.
"I managed to turn it around. I probably could have finished the third a bit quicker if I had taken some of my chances but he fought."
Murray, who has not progressed beyond the last eight at the Madrid Open since the tournament moved onto clay in 2009, will now face sixth seed Tomas Berdych for a place in the semi-finals.
Robert Summerscales
