Andy Murray scored his biggest win since hip surgery at the China Open

On Tuesday, British tennis player Andy Murray claimed his biggest win since his recovery from a career-threatening hip injury by beating Italian player Matteo Berrettini at the China Open. He defeated the US Open semifinalist in straight sets 7-6 (2), 7-6 (7) over a period of two hours in Beijing. Currently, Berrettini is ranked no.13 in the world. Last week, Murray had won his first ATP Singles game since undergoing a crucial hip surgery in January 2019. In this match, Murray who is now at the 503rd rank in the game showcased glimpses of his determination that originally made him no.1 in June 2016. 

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How the match unfolded 

Berrettini is the 8th best player in the ATP rankings solely based on his performance in 2019. He held the advantage in the first set initially at 5-3. However, he was pulled back by the returns of Murray, whose serve was strong early on. His fighting spirit came to the fore as he forced a tiebreak. The 32-year British player was extremely positive and dominant in the first tie break, taking the scoreline to 7-2. The second tiebreak was much tougher against Berrettini, who has both power and touch. Murray had to save a set point when it was 8-7, before taking his first match point opportunity against his Italian opponent’s serve. Finally, the former prevailed by 9-7. He will now face off against fellow British player Cameron Norrie. 

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Murray's comments

Speaking at the court after his game, Murray conceded that it was a tough ask. He revealed that his approach to the match was to continue on the offense.

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“It is tough obviously. I haven’t played many matches. In the end there I was just trying to fight and play as offensively as possible. It cost me on a few points but helped me out at the end. I managed to get over the line with a good passing shot in the end, but it was one or two points in each set. I think in the first set I served better than him but in the second set there wasn’t really any difference,” he observed. 

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