Nearly four hours under the glaring spotlight of Rod Laver Arena, Andy Murray crafted a jubilant, vintage performance that put him on the cusp of achieving his best career result in the past five years. First, he established a commanding two-set advantage over Matteo Berrettini, and then, in a tense tie-break, Andy Murray was two points away from victory.
Even when everything appeared to be falling apart, when Berrettini dragged Murray back to a fifth set and stood even closer to victory, Murray never lowered his intensity. He fought with everything he had until the very end, and after a brilliant, rousing, and high-quality match, Murray completed his finest performance in the past five years with a classic victory.
Murray recovered to defeat Berrettini, the 13th seed and last year’s semi-finalist, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (10-6) and advance to the second round of the Australian Open. The match lasted four hours and 49 minutes, and Murray saved one match point.
Murray was unfazed by the prospect of facing Berrettini despite a brutal draw against one of the most accomplished grand slam players of the younger generation. Before the game, he had emphasized how fruitful his preparation had been, and he was confident that he was regaining his form.
Murray defeats Berrettini in final-set tie-break
Murray immediately backed up his confidence. During the first 43 minutes of the first set, which was played under the Rod Laver Arena roof due to the heat, he raced around the court. Murray immediately broke Berrettini’s serve, deflecting the Italian’s bombs with ease.
Murray served well under pressure in his service games, and he struck his forehand as forcefully as he has in a long time, exploiting Berrettini’s inferior backhand and movement. He completed the set with an ace serve.
The assault continued throughout the second set. After flitting across the court, Murray broke serve in the first game with an outrageous angled backhand passing shot winner. Even when Berrettini became assertive, Murray always had a response. He delivered powerful first serves on crucial points, exhibited his signature delicacy, and established a two-sets-to-love advantage.
Even though he was not at his best, Berrettini would never leave without making Murray’s life difficult. In the third set, he finally gained ground in the match. He started serving exceptionally well, connecting with his forehand and displaying deft touches around the net. Berrettini broke serve early on and maintained it, gaining a set advantage.
Players maintained a high level of play
Throughout the entirety of the fourth set, both players maintained a high level of play. They played free, aggressive tennis on their serves and conceded nothing. They collided in a ferocious tie-break filled with breathless points, several aces from Berrettini, and a dramatic diving volley from Murray at 6-6 that narrowly missed the net. But Berrettini held firm and evened the score at two sets apiece.
Berrettini had gained control of the wrestling match. His serve was impregnable, and he challenged Murray to keep up. At 4-5, he had a match point on Murray’s serve – he had Murray stranded at the net and a simple mid-court backhand to hit – but he comically dumped the ball into the bottom of the net. Murray rode his good fortune, held serve, and seized the initiative.
Murray has been under the impression that it was only a matter of time before he once again made deep runs in major tournaments for the majority of the past 14 months when he began to compete regularly following a multitude of hip-related injury niggles.
However, the advances have frequently been accompanied by setbacks, and there have been times when others in his position would have questioned his future. On his return to Rod Laver Arena after a five-year absence, Murray reaped the benefits of his legendary tenacity, a feat accomplished by few players in history.
