Former world number one Andy Murray rallied from a set down to beat Tomas Etcheverry through another tough match on Thursday to reach the second round of the Indian Wells WTA and ATP Masters 1000.
The Briton, who has made a habit of scoring big this year, took three hours and 12 minutes to beat the Argentine 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-4.
“All the matches I’ve played this year, I haven’t deserved to win,” said Murray, who won five sets that lasted more than five hours at the Australian Open and Doha last month. in four matches before falling to Daniil Medvedev in the final.
Thursday offered a little less drama, but Murray, returning to the top 40 after hip replacement surgery in 2019, struggled from two break points in the eighth game of the third set.
He needed five chances in the next game to get the deciding break, finally when Etcheverry, riding high after reaching the final in Santiago last week, double-faulted.
They reached match point after three hours and nine minutes, Murray missing his first chance when his drop shot went wide. Three minutes later he erased it with an ace.
Murray improved to 7-0 in deciding sets this year and booked a meeting with 15th-seeded Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta.
With injuries threatening his career, Murray, owner of three Grand Slam titles and two Olympic gold medals, said he wanted to enjoy the final act of his career.
“I really want to make the most of these last years,” he said.
Murray was one of a handful of former Grand Slam winners in first-round action as the 32 men’s and women’s seeds – led by Carlos Alcaraz and Inga Swiatek – enjoyed byes.
Britain’s 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu rallied from a break down in each set to defeat Danka Kovinic 6-2, 6-3, avenging her 2022 Australian Open second round loss to the Montenegrin. Continued his battle with diseases that had slowed down. his 2023 campaign.
“I’m glad I got in,” said Radukanu, who ended his 2022 season early due to wrist trouble and an ankle injury in his second match of 2023 in Auckland.
She pulled out of a WTA event in Austin last week with tonsillitis and pulled out of a pre-tournament exhibition here when her wrist discomfort flared up.
But she said the multitude of problems has made her more determined.
Kokkinakis will face Alcaraz
“I love competing,” Radukaanu said.
“Like, ‘okay’ I have to be aggressive or dominate—something that’s really there to get used to and used to.”
Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, with two knee and two foot surgeries behind him and now ranked 100 in the world, cruised to a 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 victory over Australian qualifier Aleksandar Vukic. 17 winners fired.
Austria’s Dominic Thiem, the 2020 US Open winner who was sidelined for eight months in 2021 with a right wrist injury, took on France’s Adrien Mannarino in the night session – when 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens won the 2020 Australian Open The winner faced Sofia Kenin.
In Thursday’s other matches, Australian qualifier Thanasi Kokkinakis, ranked 94th in the world, met top seed Carlos Alcaraz with a 6-4, 6-1 win over US wild card Brandon Holt in the second round.
American Ben Shelton beat Italian veteran Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-1 to set up a showdown with fourth seeded defending champion Taylor Fritz.
read all Latest sports news Here
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)