Unfortunately, Andy Murray’s losing streak continued when he was defeated by Tomas Machac in the first round of the Open 13 Provence. The 36-year-old has now lost six consecutive matches, going back to October, and has only won one of his last 10 matches.
Murray has acknowledged that he is considering when to end his career, but he strongly rejected the idea that continuing to play would damage his reputation. In a post on X last week, he stated: “Many people would give up and walk away in my current situation. But I am not like most people and my mindset is different. I will not give up.”
The performance was not poor against Machac, a rising player at the age of 23 and ranked 66. However, there were costly errors. Murray was able to bounce back from an early break and seemed to gain momentum in the first set, but Machac managed to break serve at 5-5. In the second set, the Czech took an early lead and Murray was unable to catch up.
Heather Watson had a much improved day, especially compared to her performance in 2023. She achieved her highest ranking victory since 2017 by defeating ninth seed Veronika Kudermetova 6-3, 7-5 at the Abu Dhabi Open. Despite her previous struggles, Watson played with assurance and attacking style to beat the 16th-ranked Russian. This win may lead to her return to the top 130 players in the world.
“I am aware that she is an exceptional player, so I understood that I needed to perform at my best today,” stated Watson, after defeating former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in the initial qualifying round. “I directed my attention towards what I could control, my serve, and maintained an aggressive approach. I had a great performance and thoroughly enjoyed myself on the court.”
Watson has advanced to the second round alongside fellow countrywoman Emma Raducanu. She will now compete against Spanish player Cristina Bucsa in the following round.
In the earlier match at the Abu Dhabi Open, Naomi Osaka was defeated by Danielle Collins. Osaka, a four-time grand slam champion, recently returned to the court after giving birth to her first child. She reached the second round of the Brisbane International, but lost in a close match against Caroline Garcia in her first match at the Australian Open.
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Osaka’s recent performances showed promise, but she struggled against American Collins and lost 7-5, 6-0. The first set was mostly dominated by strong serves, but Collins managed to break at a crucial moment, leading to her victory. Osaka made 20 unforced errors and seemed discouraged as she lost four consecutive times when serving.
Osaka plans to play a fuller schedule than she did prior to her 15-month break but it is clear the 26-year-old has plenty of work to do if she is to get back to the top of the game. Collins, who is planning to retire at the end of the season, moves on to a second-round clash with top seed Elena Rybakina.
Source: theguardian.com
