Murray tames wind and Sonego to reach second round in Toronto

 

[August 09, 2023]  TORONTO (Reuters) -Andy Murray tamed blustery conditions to grind out a 7-6(3) 6-0 win over Italy's Lorenzo Sonego on Tuesday and reach the second round of the Canadian Open.

The three-times Grand Slam champion needed time to settle into his game during a tightly-contested opening set but managed to raise his level in the tiebreaker and never looked back as he beat Sonego for the second time this year.

"It wasn't always the prettiest tennis and I was just trying to put the ball in difficult positions for him and hope he doesn't come up with great shots," three-times champion Murray said during his on-court interview.

"He's got a huge game, hits his forehand really big, but in the wind like this it's not that easy to play really high-power, high-pace tennis so I just tried to put balls in awkward places and hope for the best."

The 36-year-old former world number did well to save a pair of set points in a tight opening set, which he finally wrapped up in 90 minutes with a dominant display during the tiebreaker.
 

The Scot then raced through the second set, which he closed out with a third consecutive break on his first match point when Sonego sent a forehand into the net to end a match that lasted two hours and nine minutes.

Up next for Murray will be either 10th-seed Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime or Australia's Max Purcell.

For Murray, who was coming off a round-of-16 loss to Taylor Fritz last week in Washington, the win over Sonego marked his first in Toronto since lifting the title in 2015.

Alexander Zverev never dropped his serve despite the gusting wind to claim a 6-4 7-6(3) win over last weekend's Washington Open finalist Tallon Griekspoor in their first-round match.

Little separated the pair until the 2017 champion earned the contest's first break point opportunity on set point, which he converted when Griekspoor allowed a backhand passing shot to go past him.

The ball dropping in for the winner and the towering German let out a triumphant roar.

Zverev rode that momentum in the second set and took firm control when an increasingly dejected Griekspoor shanked a forehand to give Zverev a 4-2 lead in the second set breaker.

Aug 6, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Andy Murray (GBR) hits a ball during a practise session at Sobeys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo

Zverev's 12th ace brought up match point and he sealed the win on an errant backhand by the Dutch player.

The match was Zverev's first on the hard court summer swing leading up to the U.S. Open as he looks to continues to build confidence on the surface following the brutal ankle injury he suffered at Roland Garros in 2022.

"All in all, it was a good first hard court match in over four months for me," he said.

"Especially since the last time I was on a hard court I was still not 100% healthy with my ankle. I'm moving very different, sliding around the court more now.

"Generally, I'm extremely happy because he's playing at a very high level at the moment."

Next up for Zverev is Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Zverev holds a 3-0 lifetime record against the Spaniard.

Alex de Minaur fought back from a 5-3 first set deficit to upset 11th seed Cameron Norrie 7-5 6-4.

Norrie appeared rattled after he failed to serve out the first set and struggled to get back on track as the speedy de Minaur stayed on the attack.

The Australian will next face Gabriel Diallo after the Canadian outlasted Washington Open champion Dan Evans of England 7-6(4) 7-5.

Rising American Ben Shelton beat Spain's Bernabe Zapata Miralles 7-6(1) 6-4 under the lights and will face world number one a Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz in the second round on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto and Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; editing by Clare Fallon & Simon Cameron-Moore)

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