INDIAN WELLS: On Thursday, former world number one Andy Murray prevailed over Tomas Etcheverry after rallying from a set down to win and advance to the Indian Wells WTA and ATP Masters 1000 second round.
The Argentinian was defeated by the Briton in three hours and 12 minutes, winning 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, and 6-4. This year, the Briton has had a pattern of great escapes.
Murray, who won a five-set match that lasted more than five hours at the Australian Open and overcame eight match points in four matches in Doha last month before losing to Daniil Medvedev in the final, stated, “Some of the matches I’ve played this year I haven’t deserved to win.”
Murray, who had eight break opportunities in the second set, added, “Today, I felt like I created so many opportunities and it was one that easily could have got away from me.”
In the eighth game of the third set, Murray, who had hip replacement surgery in 2019 and is regaining his ranking, had to defend himself against two break points.
He needed five chances to score the winning goal in the next game, but he finally did when Etcheverry double-failed, riding high after reaching the Santiago final last week.
After three hours and nine minutes, they reached the match point, and Murray missed his first opportunity when his drop shot went wide. He completed it with an ace three minutes later.
This year, Murray improved to 7-0 in decisive sets and secured a matchup with Pablo Carreno Busta, the 15th-seeded Spaniard.
Murray, who has won three Grand Slam titles and two Olympic gold medals, stated that he wants to enjoy the final act of his career after injuries threatened his career.
He declared, “I really want to make the most of these last years that I have.” Seeing how far I can push this and my body is exciting.
“The most essential thing is to give my best performance every day, and there are some things I would like to do before I finish playing and goals I have set for myself.
“If I accomplish that, I’ll leave my career on a good note,”
As the 32 men’s and women’s seeds, led by Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek, had byes, Murray was one of a group of former Grand Slam champions competing in the first round.
Emma Raducanu, the British champion at the US Open in 2021, defeated Danka Kovinic 6-2, 6-3, avenging her second-round loss to the Montenegrin at the Australian Open in 2022. She is continuing her recovery from a number of ailments that have slowed her 2023 campaign.
“I’m happy I stuck in,” said Raducanu, who injured her ankle in her second match of 2023 in Auckland after ending her 2022 season early due to wrist issues.
She pulled out of the WTA event in Austin last week because she had tonsillitis, and she also pulled out of a pre-tournament exhibition here because her wrist problems got worse.
However, she claimed that the plethora of issues only strengthened her resolve.
According to Raducanu
According to Raducanu, “I think having something that you are going through sort of gives you in some ways more incentive.” “OK, I have to be aggressive or dominant; there is something to really cling to and use,” for example.
Adrian Mannarino of Alcaraz, France, defeated Austrian Dominic Thiem, the 2020 US Open champion who missed eight months in 2021 due to a right wrist injury. Kokkinakis will now play Mannarino in Alcaraz.
In the third set, Thiem had won an early break to force the tiebreaker, which he led 5-3, but Mannarino won the four points to win in two hours and 43 minutes.
Sofia Kenin, who won the 2020 Australian Open, defeated Sloane Stephens, who won the 2017 US Open, 6-4, 6-1, in a duel of two more former Grand Slam champions.
Stan Wawrinka, who has won three Grand Slams and is currently ranked 100th in the world and has had two knee and foot surgeries, beat Australian qualifier Aleksandar Vukcic 6-4, 1-6, 6-1.
Thanasi Kokkinakis, an Australian qualifier who is ranked 94th in the world, beat US wild card Brandon Holt 6-4, 6-1 on Thursday to advance to the second round with top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz.
American Ben Shelton crushed Italian veteran Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-1 to set up a gathering with fourth-cultivated reigning champ Taylor Fritz while on the ladies’ side American Claire Liu beat Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 to procure a shot at favorite and reigning champ Iga Swiatek.
