Former world number one Andy Murray produced a trademark comeback 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Italian Matteo Berrettini after two hours and 48 minutes, successfully launching his campaign at the Miami Open presented by Itau on Wednesday.
Also, he became the third active player with 30 wins at the Masters 1000 in Florida.
In his on-court interview, Murray commented: “It was a great win for me. I started a little bit slow, but I think I played pretty well from the middle of the first set until the end of the match.
“I created a lot of opportunities; he was struggling for a little bit at the end of the second and beginning of the third. I capitalized on that and got to a quick start in the third. I served it out well in the end.”
The World No. 62 has been struggling to find his best tennis this season, experiencing early exits in four of the seven tournaments he has competed in 2024 ahead of his appearance in Miami, which could be his last at age 36.
For his part, Berrettini entered the tournament, his first at tour level this season, on a protected ranking.
Sharp on serve, the 7-time ATP titlist broke to start the opening set and held, earning a 2-0 lead, which he would extend to 3-1, maximizing his chances at the Hard Rock Stadium.
As the play unfolded, the Scot raised his level, giving signs of brilliance on vintage mode, but when he failed to convert two break points in the sixth game, frustration made an entrance to the court.
Meanwhile, the Italian player executed drop shots with exquisite precision, a weapon he used well to go the distance, winning the first set 6-4 in 50 minutes.
A big-serving performance saw the Roman-born win 76 percent of the first serve points.
In addition, he hit 11 winners to 4 unforced errors to his adversary’s 6 and 8, respectively.
With the wind in his sails, the 27-year-old picked up where he left off, earning the early lead.
However, as the second set wore on, they went toe-to-toe from the baseline with small margins to separate them.
Murray’s fighting spirit was on full display in a challenging contest, so he shut the door, breaking for the first time in the match with his forehand-forcing shot to take the sixth game and hold at 5-2.
“When you are playing against big servers, the matches can be quite tight, and it’s not always easy to play the break points really aggressively,” Murray added.
“You don’t know how many opportunities you are going to get. Once I got the break, I felt like I was able to free up a little bit and take a few more chances.”
Then, Berrettini felt dizzy on the court before serving, and the action stopped immediately for the 2021 Wimbledon finalist to receive medical attention.
Play resumed after nearly five minutes, and the three-time major champion wrapped up a 6-3 win to force a decider.
A 10-minute game saw the first player to win two Olympic gold medals in singles, breaking his opponent to take a crucial advantage he would hold for the remainder of a set in which he showcased high-class tennis, dictating the points with his forehand.
He finished with 28 winners and 15 unforced errors compared to the Italian 32 and 23, respectively.
Next, the 46-time title winner will face 29th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
The Argentine leads Brit 2-1 in the head-to-head series, having met for the last time at the Australian Open, a match Etcheverry took in three sets.
Last week, Berrettini, sidelined from tour-level competition due to injury, progressed to his first final since 2022 while competing at the ATP Challenger Tour in Phoenix - lost to defending champion Nuno Borges in straight sets.