Andy Murray fiercely fought for a total of three hours and 28 minutes, never giving up even when things seemed dire. He showcased his exceptional skills in the beginning of the match against the skilled Tomas Machac, but struggled to secure a victory. Just as the match appeared to be slipping away from him, Murray staged a remarkable comeback. Despite injuring his left ankle in the critical moments, he refused to back down and continued to battle.
During the final months of an illustrious career in this century, the Scottish player showed once again his determination and courage, but it ultimately fell short. He suffered a heartbreaking loss to Machac in the third round of the Miami Open on Sunday, with a score of 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (5).
Murray faced a devastating loss in Miami, despite playing at his peak and having a chance for a significant victory in a crucial city for his career. Unfortunately, he encountered a challenging setback and will now have to recover from an injury before the upcoming grass-court season. It has been a tough year for Murray, with even simple wins being hard to attain, but he showed remarkable performance in Miami. Notably, his back-to-back wins against Berrettini and Etcheverry marked his first consecutive victories since August. He was aiming for a third consecutive win at a Masters 1000 or higher event for the first time since his Wimbledon triumph in 2017.
At just 23 years old, Machac from Czech Republic has proven his talent by achieving a ranking of 62. He has been steadily climbing the rankings and on Friday, he achieved his best win yet by defeating Andrey Rublev, a top-10 player, with a score of 6-4, 6-4.
During the first set, Murray’s serving was outstanding. This helped him to earn points more easily and put consistent pressure on his opponent’s serve. He had nine opportunities to break his opponent’s serve and did not face any break points himself. Murray ultimately managed to break Machac’s serve. He ended the set with eight aces and an impressive 86% success rate on his first serves.
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A delay due to rain lasting for 35 minutes caused the players to leave the court when the score was 2-1 in favor of Machac in the second set. When they resumed the match, there was a shift in the game. While Machac continued to aggressively attack and dominate at the net, Murray struggled to hold his serves. In the second set, Murray only landed 46% of his first serves, giving Machac ample opportunities to take advantage.
Murray’s frustration reached a boiling point as he argued with umpire Carlos Bernardes over the movement of spectators during the match. However, his main source of anger was directed towards his own performance. Despite his efforts, he was unable to break the negative momentum in the final set, and quickly fell behind 3-0 against Machac.
Despite his injury, he continued to fight until the end. He managed to earn three break points as Machac served to win the match 5-3. However, Murray was able to get back on serve and evened the match 5-5. Unfortunately, while serving, he landed awkwardly on his left ankle and was in immediate pain. He limped to his chair and was examined by a physio, but chose not to have his ankle taped.
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Even though he may have been moving slower towards the end of the game, Murray never gave up. He managed to save match points while also inspiring the crowd to help him. Eventually, he held his serve and made it to a final set tie-break, where he pushed through to take a 5-4 lead. However, Machac was able to regain his composure and win the last three points, sealing the victory in a remarkable match.
Coco Gauff, who recently turned 20, displayed her skill and resilience in her first tournament since reaching this milestone. Despite facing a break point while trailing 2-4, she was able to win 10 consecutive games and secure a spot in the fourth round of the Miami Open with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Océane Dodin of France. Additionally, during the early hours of Sunday, Katie Boulter also advanced to the fourth round with an impressive 6-2, 6-3 victory over the 11th seed, Beatriz Haddad Maia.
Source: theguardian.com
