Murray makes triumphant return
Print Edition
Andy Murray let out one yell, then another, and violently pumped his right fist. Quite a reaction, considering this was merely a first-round victory over an inexperienced opponent who recently cracked the top 100 for the first time.
Still, this meant something to Murray. It was a test of his surgically repaired hip, and he put aside a deficit and some real rust to win his first hardcourt match in nearly 1-1/2 years, coming back at the Citi Open in Washington DC to edge Mackenzie McDonald of the US 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.
鈥淚 enjoyed getting through that one 鈥 obviously, you see by the celebration,鈥 Murray said after a match that began about 10pm on Monday because of a rain delay, and ended at 12:45am yesterday.
鈥淚t was great to get through that one,鈥 he said, 鈥渂ut in terms of the actual way that I went about the match and played the match, I wasn鈥檛 that happy with it.鈥
There were stretches when Murray looked very much like exactly what he is at the moment: a guy working his back from an operation in January. Particularly when he was failing to convert any of the five match points he held while serving for the win at 5-4 in the final set. He won on his seventh, though.
Murray is a former No. 1 who owns two Wimbledon trophies plus another from the US Open. But he鈥檚 ranked just 832nd now, on account of so much time away. He sat out the second half of last season because of the bad hip, and then didn鈥檛 compete this year until June.
This match was only Murray鈥檚 fourth of 2018. No. 5 will come in the second round of the Citi Open against Kyle Edmund, the man who overtook him as Britain鈥檚 top-ranked player during Murray鈥檚 injury absence.
鈥淚鈥檒l certainly have to play better tennis,鈥 Murray said.
He pulled out of Wimbledon on July 1 because, he said at the time, it 鈥渕ight be a bit too soon in the recovery process鈥 for his hip to try to compete in best-of-five-set matches.
Against McDonald, he said, 鈥淭he movements and stuff were fine. I chased balls down. Obviously lasted pretty well.鈥
Murray played just fine for the opening 10 minutes, breaking for a 2-0 lead. And then his game devolved for quite a lengthy spell into a ragged display, filled with six double-faults 鈥 two in a row to get broken to 2-1 鈥 and shots that missed the mark.
The 23-year-old McDonald, a Californian who won NCAA singles and doubles titles at UCLA, made it to the fourth round at the All England Club this month, the first time he had made it that far at a major tournament. That put him into the top 100, and he鈥檚 now 80th.
He took six of seven games in one stretch and was actually one point from serving for the victory, holding a break point while already ahead by a set and 4-3 in the second. Eventually, Murray righted himself, just before rain returned.
That forced the postponement of a match involving another three-time major champion: Swiss Stan Wawrinka, who was scheduled to face American qualifier Donald Young.
In other matches, Noah Rubin got past Mikhail Youzhny 6-4, 6-4, Tim Smyczek beat Ricardas Berankis 7-6 (4), 6-2, and Malek Jaziri defeated Evgeny Donskoy 6-4, 6-1. Rubin now faces No. 2 seed John Isner, Jaziri plays No. 1 seed and defending champion Alexander Zverev, while Smyczek meets Zverev鈥檚 older brother, No. 15 seed Mischa.
In women鈥檚 results, two-time major champion Svetlana Kuznetsova beat Kristie Ahn 6-2, 6-1, Katie Boulter eliminated No. 5 seed Aleksandra Krunic 6-2, 6-0, and Andrea Petkovic defeated Jamie Loeb 6-1, 6-1.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
