Washington: Former World No.1 Andy Murray was far from his best but was still good enough to come from behind and defeat American Mackenzie McDonald 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 in a marathon first round match at the Washington Open tennis tournament here Monday.
Murray, who is attempting to return to the top of the tennis world after undergoing hip surgery in January, was out of sorts in the first set of the rain-delayed match, losing three service games behind some uncharacteristically soft second serves.
He looked in trouble but found new life when McDonald sent a forehand wide to hand Murray a break and a 5-4 advantage in the second set. The error ignited the three-time Grand Slam champion, who pumped his fist and screamed after easily holding serve to set up a third-set decider.
McDonald, coming off a round of 16 appearance at Wimbledon that put him in the top 100 for the first time in his career, blasted winners all night but was ultimately undone by a torrent of unforced errors in the third set, including a costly one when his racquet crossed the net on a volley.
Despite the win, Murray looked far from his dominant self. He walked awkwardly around the court between points, especially in the lengthy third set when at one point he grabbed his hamstring and winced in pain.
The 31-year-old also tightened up at key moments in the match, needing seven match point opportunities before finally crossing the finish line. Next up for Murray is countryman Kyle Edmund, who he will face Wednesday.
Azarenka outlasts Bondarenko
San Jose: Former World No.1 Victoria Azarenka outlasted Kateryna Bondarenko 6-3, 6-7(7-9), 7-5 at the Silicon Valley Classic tennis tournament here Monday to set up a highly-anticipated second-round clash with top-seeded Garbine Muguruza, Wednesday. Azarenka took the first set comfortably but faced stiffer resistance in the second from the Ukrainian, who battled hard against the 29-year-old Belarusian on a night when her powerful first serve lacked its usual accuracy.