Murray Fights Through Asian Swing Opener
Murray Fights Through Asian Swing Opener
The 2014 champion advances by retirement after nearly three sets
Former World No. 1 Andy Murray had to fight for it, but the Scot began his Asian swing with a victory on Tuesday at the Shenzhen Open.
The 2014 champion led 6-3, 6-7(3), 4-2 when Chinese wild card Zhizhen Zhang retired down 3-6, 7-6(3), 2-4. Murray saved eight of 10 break points and won nearly 60 per cent of his second-serve return points.
“I felt he played very well after the first set,” Murray said. “I just managed to fight hard, stay tough in the beginning of the third set and unfortunately for him, the cramps started. It was very difficult conditions.”
It was Murray’s first match since the US Open, when he fell to Spain’s Fernando Verdasco in the second round. The Brit will next meet top seed and defending champion David Goffin.
Canadian Denis Shapovalov led the #NextGenATP charge, winning a rain-interrupted first-round match 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 over Ilya Ivashka of Belarus. The match was suspended for more than three hours.
“I think once we came back from the break, we played better,” said Shapovalov, who will next play Japanese qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka. “It’s been tough conditions here today, but I felt much better on my return to the court.”
#NextGenATP Aussie Alex de Minaur also advanced, needing only 56 minutes to move past Japan’s Yuichi Sugita 6-3, 6-0. De Minaur will next meet American Mackenzie McDonald, who was leading 5-7, 6-0, 5-0 when Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko retired.
Indian qualifier Ramkumar Ramanathan knocked out Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic 7-5, 6-1 in 90 minutes to set up a second-round matchup with fourth seed Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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