- Murray loses, contemplates retirement
- Watson secures major victory
- Osaka defeated by Collins
Andy Murray’s unfavourable streak continued at the Open 13 Provence with a first-round defeat to Tomas Machac. Since October, the 36-year-old has suffered his sixth consecutive loss in Marseille to the Czech Republic (7-5, 6-4). His current record stands at one victory in his last ten matches.
Murray has acknowledged that he is contemplating his retirement, but he vehemently rejected the notion that continuing to play could tarnish his legacy. Murray wrote on X last week, “In my current circumstance, the majority of people would quit and give up. However, I am not like the majority of individuals, and my mind functions differently. “I have no intention of quitting.”
Although the performance against Machac, a 23-year-old ranked 66, was respectable, it was marred by costly errors once more. Late in the first set, Murray appeared to have the upper hand after recovering from an early break; however, Machac broke serve at 5-5. Following that, the Czech took an early lead in the second set, and Murray was unable to recoup the deficit.
Watson’s Impressive Victory in Abu Dhabi
However, Heather Watson had a markedly improved day, as she defeated Veronika Kudermetova, the ninth seed, 6-3, 7-5 at the Abu Dhabi Open to earn her highest-ranking victory since 2017. Watson laboured in 2023, but she defeated the sixteenth-ranked Russian with assured, aggressive tennis. She may re-enter the top 130 in the world with the victory.
“I knew I had to perform exceptionally well today because she is such a great player,” Watson said after defeating former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in the first round of qualifying. “All I could think about was my serve, which was within my control, and I endeavoured to be as aggressive as possible.” I had a great time and performed exceptionally well outside today.”
Watson Advances, Osaka Faces Defeat
Watson advances to the second round, where she will face Spaniard Cristina Bucsa, after which she will face fellow countrywoman Emma Raducanu.
Naomi Osaka was defeated in her initial match of the Abu Dhabi Open earlier in the day by Danielle Collins. After giving birth to her first child a month ago, the four-time grand slam champion resumed her career, making it to the Brisbane International in the second round before falling to Caroline Garcia in a close contest in her inaugural match at the Australian Open.
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Those performances provided ample motivation, but Osaka was defeated 7-5, 6-0 by American Collins. Despite this, she deteriorated significantly. Amidst a first set dominated by the serve, rallies were scarce until Collins secured the decisive break at 5-5. The former Australian Open finalist then dominated the match, as Osaka dropped serve four times in succession and appeared disheartened while committing 20 unforced errors.
Despite stating that she intends to play a more packed schedule than she did before her 15-month absence, it is evident that the 26-year-old Osaka has a long way to go before regaining her former prominence in the sport. Collins, who intends to retire at the conclusion of the current season, advances to face top seed Elena Rybakina in the second round.
