Murray and Hewitt Slicing Through

The slice backhand was the shot of the day Thursday, as unseeded Leyton Hewitt used its low bounce to upset the heavily favored, very tall fifth seed, Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 7-5, 7-5, making him bend too low for comfort, one of the best tactics against a tall player.

The day also saw third seed Andy Murray display his extraordinary variety of strokes in defeating unseeded Ernests Gulbis 6-2, 7-5, 6-3. Most notable was his slice backhand, which, combined with his quickness, makes Murray one of the best defensive players in the game. Especially on grass, the slice also becomes a major offensive tool. Murray likes to add quite a lot of sidespin to the backspin that's standard on all slice groundstrokes, and on several key points, the sidespin either put the ball out of reach or moved the ball away from Gulbis's expected point of contact enough to cause an error.

• Photo Lesson: The One-Handed Backhand Sidespin Slice
• Best Defensive Tennis Tactics
• Photo Study of Andy Murray's Strokes