The British tennis player beat the American Frances Tiafoe (7-6 (2), 6-7 (7), 7-6 (8)) in a great match of 3h 45 ′ for the first round of the ATP 250 in Antwerp. Murray is now meeting with Argentine Diego Schwartzman, second seed of the Belgian contest.
Andy Murray He arrived in Belgium with the illusion of doing a good performance, but above all with the pressure of knowing that if he does not win several games, he will suffer a new drop in the ranking after his title won in 2019. The Briton comes from leaving a pleasant image on the Indian Wells tracks, where he made a great comeback against Carlos Alcaraz, until he reached the third round, where although he was eliminated at the hands of Sascha Zverev, he was able to compete equally against the German.
For its part, Frances Tiafoe he had been showing a good lift in terms of his level, in a fairly regular season in terms of results, although still far from his expectations. The one from Maryland arrived in Antwerp after getting into the third round at Indian Wells, and previously reaching the eighth at the US Open, leaving Andrey Rublev on the road.
Between the two there were two previous confrontations, with the track record matched 1-1. Murray got his triumph in the Cincinnati Masters played in New York in 2020, while Tiafoe tied the head to head a few weeks ago, in the last ATP of Winston Salem, winning in straight sets.
Murray takes the battle
An even match was expected, between two tennis players who came with confidence and who usually feel comfortable when they have the initiative of the match. Tiafoe quickly found an advantage on the scoreboard, breaking and going 2-1. From there, the American maintained the difference with great solidity to the service, beyond the fact that Murray already had better sensations. When everything was headed for Frances to close the set in her favor, Andy recovered the break to equalize the actions 5-5 and add drama to that definition. After other cross breaks, Murray ended up taking the partial in tiebreak.
The match would become completely even for the second set, but now with the two players improving their feelings on service. The games would progress without even breaking opportunities appearing, and it was clear that again it was going to be defined by small details. The story again reached the tiebreak, and in this case, Tiafoe would manage to close the sleeve in his fifth set point.
Everything would be defined in this third quarter, where it was going to be difficult to find a gap. The American broke first, to go 3-2, but could not maintain his serve, leaving everything equal again. Murray went from being close to defeat to once again fighting as equals in a true battle. When you get to the tiebreak, Andy Murray would end up winning the match with a 10-8 final, and saving two match points..
