THAT’S AN OZSOME WIN ANDY
Murrayprogressesinmelbouneafterthriller
Sir Andy Murray got the opening Grand Slam of the season off to the perfect start with a thrilling five-set win in the opening round of the Australian Open yesterday.
The Dunblane ace saw off Italian number 13 seed Matteo Berrettini at the Rod Laver Arena in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The 35-year-old rolled back the clock to stun the former Wimbledon finalist 6-3 6-3 4-6 6-7(7) 7-6 [10-6].
Murray roared with delight as he saw off the 26-year-old Italian – securing his 50th victory at Melbourne Park.
The stunning win came after Murray was previously defeated in the opening round of the Adelaide International earlier this month – his first match of the new season.
However, the double Wimbledon champ didn’t let that play on his mind as he used all of his experience to defeat his younger opponent.
Just before Murray and Berrettini took to court, the Australian Open heat-stress scale clicked to five, sparking the closure of Rod Laver Arena’s roof. Olympic champ Murray seized a break chance in the second game, and the master of defence carried the advantage to close out the set, urged on by coach and two-time champion Ivan Lendl.
The second set unfolded much like the first, with the former world number one scoring breaks in both the opening and closing games to lead by two sets.
The only time Murray has lost a Grand Slam match from a two-sets-to-love lead was almost 20 years ago, at Wimbledon in 2005.
Berrettini isn’t one to fade without a fight – he levelled up with well-placed groundstrokes, and snared two breaks and the third set.
Both competitors dug deep in the searing heat during the fourth, but after untimely misfires from Murray, it was Berrettini who gained the upper hand, clinching the dramatic tiebreak 9-7 after fumbling two earlier set points.
Looking every bit the wounded warrior with blood trickling down his right shin following a tumble, Murray settled in for his 40th-ever fifth set. Serving at 4-5, Murray saved match point as a Berrettini backhand found its way into the middle of the net. He held his nerve – and serve – to force a decisive match tie-break.
Racing to a quick 5-0 lead, Murray steeled himself to victory with a net-cord winner as the crowd erupted.
Following the gruelling contest, an exhausted Murray said: “I’ll be feeling this this evening and tomorrow, but right now I’m just unbelievably happy, very proud of myself.
“I’ve put a lot of work into the last few months with my team who are here to give me the opportunity to perform in stadiums like this, in matches like this, against players like Matteo and it paid off tonight.”