Tennis News: Scotland and England finished the opening day of the Battle of the Brits tied at 1-1 as Andy Murray defeated Jack Draper in an exciting final set tie-break.
At Aberdeen’s P&J Live Arena, England took the lead as Dan Evans defeated Aiden McHugh 6-4, 6-2. Murray and Draper then each won a set before the match came down to a 10-point tie-break.
When Murray fell behind 6-3, it looked as though Scotland would go farther behind. However, the former world number one won four of the next five points to tie the match at 7-7 before a few match points came and went due to Draper’s resolute defence.
The crowd was thrilled when the two-time Wimbledon champion won with a score of 6-2, 1-6, and 12-10 thanks to a fierce running forehand down the line.
Murray told the BBC, “(It was) an incredible ending, I’ve not played many tie-breaks like that before.
“I hope I could play tennis forever, but sadly, that is not going to happen.
“I’ve worked really hard over the past few months—the hardest I’ve done in a long time. Even though it’s not quite right yet, the indicators are encouraging, so I must continue.
“This is the main goal, as long as I am still able to do it.”
Murray competes for Scotland over all three days of this competition, which pits neighbours against one another for bragging rights rather than ranking points.
For the competition, Ally McCoist, a former football player and manager, will captain Scotland, and Ian Holloway, a fellow ex-player and manager, will captain England.
On Thursday, three-time grand slam champion Murray plays Evans before partnering with his brother Jamie, who is also the tournament’s director, to face Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski in a double match to cap the evening.
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