The star-studded matchup of the Australian Open opening round vastly outdid the anticipation as Andy Murray defeated 13th seed Matteo Berrettini in a match that was settled in a fifth-set tie-break here at Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday.
With a 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7(7), 7-6(10-5) stunning triumph, Murray moved into the next round defeating resilient Berrettini in a match that lasted for four hours, 49 minutes to secure the statement result in Rod Laver Arena.
With a brave performance packed with shotmaking and cunning strategy--as well as a little bit of luck, as Berrettini netted a backhand passing shot on match point at 5-4 in the fifth with the court gaping--Murray stunned the returning Melbourne semi-finalist.
The 35-year-old made his opponent uncomfortable throughout the match by attacking the Berrettini backhand and blunting the Italian's strong forehand with a combination of slice and force.
The outcome depended on late drama in the final two sets because neither man was able to break serve after Berrettini made his lone breakthrough to lead 3-2 in the third set. In the fourth set tie-break, Murray twice came perilously near to reaching match point but was stopped by brilliant plays from Berrettini. But in the fifth set, the Briton didn't take any chances, sprinting to a 5/0 lead in the tie-break to secure victory.
In the fourth set tie-break, Murray twice came perilously near to reaching match point but was stopped by brilliant plays from Berrettini. At 6/6, a diving Murray made a mistake on a desperation one-handed pass from the Italian, and two points later, Berrettini handled a violent Murray pass attempt to force another miss.
But in the fifth set, the Briton didn't take any chances, sprinting to a 5/0 lead in the tie-break to secure victory.
"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 past few months with my team here to give me the opportunity to perform on stadiums like this and in matches like this against players like Matteo, and it paid off tonight," Murray said in an on-court interview.
Next up for Murray is either another Italian in Fabio Fognini or home favourite Thanasi Kokkinakis.
( With inputs from ANI )
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