Indian Wells: In the first round of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells on Thursday, Andy Murray overcame a deficit to defeat Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 6-4. It was another spectacular contest that went the distance.
With his three-hour-plus victory, Murray has now won all of his matches this season that have gone to the third or fifth set.
Murray has a perfect 5-0 record in best-of-three set matches so far in 2023. He is also 2-0 in best-of-five set matchups that go to five sets. He has a losing record of 0-3 in earlier-ending games.
The 35-year-old will now play the 15th-seeded Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta in the next round. If Murray wins, the tournament’s second consecutive all-British matchup would be against the champion of the contest between Dan Evans and Jack Draper.
Serving at 15-40 and down 4-3 in the fourth set, Murray had two break points against Etcheverry. If either of those opportunities had been successful, the Argentinian would have been serving the entire game.
However, Murray crucially kept his composure, going on a three-game winning streak to conclude the match and advance him to the next round. Murray served out the match with his sixth ace, which was sent out wide on match point.
After the match, Murray stated, “I’ve been fighting the hardest. I truly want to make the most of my remaining years.
“I’ve survived some extremely difficult contests. Really, it’s been great.
“I want it to continue. Although I am aware that it will eventually, I figure I might as well enjoy it now.”
Murray dropped the close opening set, and tensions were about to flare up over his performance and some of the calls made by the electronic line calling system.
Yet, as he has done numerous times throughout his career, the three-time Grand Slam champion came back in the second set with the help of his fierce forehand to force a decider, which he would fight through to advance to the next round.
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