Murray makes victorious return to Doha with epic comeback win over Sonego
Former world number one, Andy Murray, returned to competitive tennis with a bang, claiming a dramatic tie-break victory over Italian Lorenzo Sonego at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha. Murray, a wildcard for the ATP 250 tournament, overcame a set deficit to win 4-6 6-1 7-6 (7-4) in his first competitive appearance since his impressive run at last month’s Australian Open. Murray was able to save three match points to hold serve in the tenth game and take the game to a tie-break, where he battled back from losing the opening three points to snatch victory.
Tough battle:
The match was a tough battle from the start, with Sonego claiming the opening set before Murray responded by breaking twice in the next to take the last-32 clash to a final-set decider. Murray, who recently beat Matteo Berrettini to start his Australian Open campaign, has now needed a final-set tie-break to progress through the opening round in two consecutive tournaments.
Murray is to face Zverev next:
Murray will now face fourth seed Alexander Zverev in the last-16 on Wednesday, who received a bye through the first round. Zverev is on the road to recovery after snapping three ligaments in his ankle during last year’s French Open semi-final against Rafael Nadal. Murray will have to be at his best to overcome the German, against whom he holds a 2-1 head-to-head lead.
Other Brits in action:
Fellow Briton, Liam Broady, also came through a final-set tie-break, beating Ukrainian Oleksii Krutykh to win 6-0 4-6 7-6 (7-2), setting up a second-round meeting with former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev. Sixth seed Dan Evans begins his singles campaign against Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuouri on Tuesday.
Murray’s return to competitive tennis is a much-awaited event, and the triumph over Sonego is an excellent start. Fans will be waiting eagerly to see if he can continue his winning form against Zverev in the next round.
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