IN RETURN TO CLAY, ANDY MURRAY SURPRISES DOMINIC THIEM AT MADRID OPEN

Andy Murray got off to a good start in his surprise return to clay, defeating Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of the Madrid Open on Monday.

Playing as a wild card after changing his mind on participating in the clay-court season, the former No. 1 broke Thiem once in each set and made only 13 unforced errors on center court.

The 78th-ranked Murray hadn't played a clay-court tournament since the French Open in 2020. He said he trained for four weeks on the surface to prepare for his return.

“All matches right now are important for me,” he said. “Playing matches on the clay, you need a little bit more patience on the court, you need to think a little bit more than on the other surfaces. It's been really positive for me.”

Murray won the Madrid title in 2008 and 2015. He hadn't played in the Spanish capital since 2017, the year he was ranked No. 1 for the last time. He also was a finalist in Madrid in 2016, losing to Novak Djokovic.

“I feel very lucky to get to play in these places,” Murray said. “Fantastic atmosphere, not having been back here for a long time. I hope everybody who came to watch enjoyed it as much as I did playing.”

Murray came to Madrid with a 10-8 record. He hasn't won more than two matches in his last six tournaments. Before that, he reached the Sydney final in January.

Thiem, the former No. 3-ranked player who was a finalist in Madrid in 2017-18, has been recovering from a wrist injury that sidelined him for eight months.

Earlier, Simona Halep continued to impress in Madrid by overpowering American teenager Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-4 to make the quarterfinals.

A two-time Madrid Open champion, Halep upset No. 2-ranked Paula Badosa in the second round.

The 21st-ranked Halep converted three of her five break opportunities to close out the center-court match against 16th-ranked Gauff. She rallied from a break down in the second set, winning the last five games.

Halep won consecutive titles in Madrid in 2016 and 2017, and was runner-up in 2014 and 2019.