CNN
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Andy Murray gained an epic five-set battle with No. 13 Matteo Berrettini on Tuesday within the opening spherical of the 2023 Australian Open.
The three-time grand slam winner needed to save match level within the closing set and rallied within the deciding tiebreak to win 6-3 6-3 4-6 6-7(7-9) 7-6(10-6) within the Rod Laver Area.
After years of battling devastating accidents had left his tennis profession in jeopardy, Murray struggled to carry again his feelings within the instant aftermath as his achievement dawned on him.
The epic 4 hour and 49-minute-long victory was Murray’s first win over a top-20 opponent at a grand slam since 2017.
“I’ll be feeling this this night and tomorrow, however proper now, I’m simply unbelievably glad, very happy with myself,” Murray stated in his on-court interview afterwards.
“I’ve put numerous work into the previous few months with my crew right here to provide me the chance to carry out on stadiums like this and in matches like this towards gamers like Matteo, and it paid off tonight.”
Murray and Berrettini’s draw within the first spherical was comfortably the marquee match of the opening set of fixtures – and it didn’t disappoint.
The 35-year-old Murray raced into a fast two-set lead, utilizing his sliced photographs to maintain final yr’s semifinalist off-kilter.
However the Italian confirmed the grit and sophistication he’s turn out to be identified for to slowly however certainly reel Murray again in, earlier than leveling the scores at two units apiece.
The deciding set went with serve, as each gamers tried to pounce upon errors from their opponent with each their serves trying spectacular.
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With Berrettini taking a 5-4 lead and with Murray serving to stay within the recreation, the Scot needed to stave off a match level to carry serve and stay within the recreation.
And within the tiebreak – performed to 10 factors in a match-deciding set – Murray appeared again to his finest, racing into an enormous lead earlier than ultimately steering himself to a well-known victory.
It was Murray’s fiftieth win on the Australian Open and is one among his most memorable, even for somebody who’s reached the ultimate of the match 5 occasions earlier than.
“That’s the primary time I’ve ever performed a type of 10-point tie-breakers,” Murray stated. “It’s a bit totally different. While you’re up 6-1, or 7-1 or no matter, it feels such as you’re nonetheless fairly distant. He got here again actually sturdy and I used to be only a bit fortunate on the finish with the web twine,” he added of his return on match level, which dribbled over the web.
Murray added: “I feel, on the finish, a number of the tennis was actually good. It felt like that taking part in, I don’t know what it appeared like. He was serving unbelievable and he’s a superb competitor as properly, among the best rivals on the Tour. He at all times fights proper to the top, so I did properly to get by means of.”
Murray will now face both Thanasi Kokkinakis or Fabio Fognini within the second spherical on Thursday.
