Murray battles into China Open last eight
ANDY Murray won two ATP Tour singles matches in a row for the first time in more than a year to battle into the China Op e n q u a r t e r - f i n a l s o n Wednesday.
The former world No1 outlasted fellow Briton Cameron Norrie 7-6 (8/6), 6-7 (4/7), 6-1 over nearly three gruelling hours and will play top seed Dominic Thiem or Chinese wi l dcard Zhang Zhi z hen next.
The 32-year-old Murray, now ranked a lowly 503, is stepping up his comeback from a career-saving operation in January – and was at his vintage fighting best here.
He defeated US Open semifinalist Matteo Berrettini on Tuesday in hot and hazy Beijing for his biggest scalp since his return to singles tennis in mid-August.
The three-time Grand Slam winner says he no longer has pain in his hip and it is a matter now of building up fitness so he can play several matches in a row at tournaments.
Mu r r ay showed s e v er a l f lashes of irritation as the first set against 69th-ranked Norr ie went to t he t ie brea k, chuntering away in the direct ion of h i s coach i ng tea m courtside.
But he regained his composure and captured the set thanks to an untimely double fault by his compatriot.
The 24-year-old Norrie broke Murray’s serve in the sixth game of the second set and Murray was struggling, bending over between points with his hands on his knees to catch his breath.
He shook h is head a s he slumped red-faced in his seat at 5-2 dow n a nd looked a l l in.
He displayed the battling qualities which took him to No1 in 2016 to somehow surge back, only to lose the second set on the tie break.
But he somehow wrestled back the initiative in the decider, breaking Norrie’s first service game on the way to a trademark gritty victory.