Sports
Australian Open: Andy Murray And Dan Evans Win In Opening Round
Britain’s Andy Murray produced one of his best recent performances to beat Italian 13th seed Matteo Berrettini and win in a five-set thriller in the opening round of the Australian Open.
After winning his 2023 Australian Open first game 6-3 6-3 4-6 6-7 (7-9) 7-6 (10-6) on Rod Laver Arena, the 35-year-old Scotsman appeared overwhelmed with joy.
Murray, who underwent hip surgery in 2019, saved a match point when the score was 5-4 in the deciding game.
It was Murray’s first triumph over a top-20 opponent at a Grand Slam since 2017.
Andy Murray celebrates his first round win in Australian Open.
After nearly five hours, the 66th-ranked Murray won the match with a forehand that ripped through the net cord and left Berrettini stranded after racing 6-1 ahead in the first-to-10 final set tie-break.
In Thursday’s second round, the three-time major champion will take on either Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis or veteran Italian Fabio Fognini.
Murray said after the win over Berrettini: “I will be feeling it this evening and tomorrow but right now I’m unbelievably happy and proud of myself.
“I’ve been working to give myself the opportunity to perform in matches like this and against players like Matteo. It paid off tonight.
“I was a bit lucky at the end with the net cord, but it felt like some of the tennis was really good.
“He’s an unbelievable player and one of the best competitors.”
Dan Evans also made progress after defeating Argentina’s Facundo Bagnis.
The 25th-seeded Englishman won 6-4 4-6 6-4 6-4 after the first round of play in Melbourne was delayed for three hours owing to the intense heat.
As temperatures exceeded 35C at Melbourne Park, the players were removed from the court with the British number two leading by two sets to one.
After a three-hour break, they returned at 5 p.m. local time to cooler conditions, which helped Evans secure the victory.
After Emma Raducanu and Cameron Norrie won on Monday, former world number one Murray went on to defeat semi-finalist Berrettini, guaranteeing four Brits would play in the second round.
