Great Britain’s Andy Murray fought back for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Italy’s Matteo Berrettini on Wednesday in the first round of the Miami Open in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Murray swatted nine aces to Berrettini’s eight, saved 4 of 5 break points and never trailed following the first set. He is a two-time champion at the event, having won in 2009 and 2013.
“It was obviously a great win for me,” Murray said. “I started off a little bit slow, but I do think I played pretty well from the middle of the first set until the end of the match. I created a lot of opportunities, and he was struggling for a little bit at the end of the second and beginning of the third.
“I capitalized on that and got off to a quick start in the third. I served it out well in the end.”
Berrettini, who was playing on a protected ranking, needed medical attention in the second set after feeling dizzy. A doctor took his blood pressure, and play eventually resumed.
“As soon as he went to slice, I was able to dictate the points with my forehand,” Murray said. “I used the width of the court well and came forward when I had the opportunity.”
Another Italian, Flavio Cobolli, was on the other end of a comeback, as he beat lucky loser Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan 1-6, 6-1, 6-4. Only two of the day’s other early matches went three sets, with Canada’s Denis Shapovalov, playing on a protected ranking, topping Italy’s Luciano Darderi and Chinese wild card Juncheng Shang ousting Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia.
In the second round, Murray will be joined by countryman Jack Draper, a 6-3, 6-2 winner over Japan’s Taro Daniel.
Even though Berrettini and Darderi fell, Italy will also be well-represented in the next round, as Matteo Arnaldi and qualifier Andrea Vavassori won their matches on Wednesday.
Other winners included American wild card Martin Damm, Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics, the Czech Republic’s Tomas Machac, Christopher O’Connell of Australia, Brazilian qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild, Frenchman Luca Van Assche and the Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp.
In late matches Wednesday night, Germany’s Dominik Koepfer overtook the United States’ Marcos Giron 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, and the United States’ Alex Michelsen downed Slovakian qualifier Lukas Klein 7-6 (5), 6-2.
–Field Level Media
