Aix-en-Provence: Murray is fighting in form on the red clay
Second victory in a row for Andy Murray on clay at the highly prized Challenger tournament in Aix-en-Provence. The Scot prevailed against Frenchman Laurent Lokoli with a hard-fought 6:4, 5:7, 6:3.
by Dietmar Kaspar
last edit: May 04, 2023, 07:58 pm
Sometimes a small step back is the right way to finally move forward. After his opening defeats at the Masters tournaments in Monte Carlo and Madrid, the 35-year-old is starting this week at the Category 175 Challenger tournament in Aix-en-Provence in southern France in order to collect the necessary match practice on cinders on the way to Roland Garros .
After his two-set success in the eagerly awaited first round match against local hero Gael Monfils, his compatriot Laurent Lokoli (ATP No. 187) was waiting in the round of 16. With a balanced start without loss of service, the first round ended with three breaks, from which Murray was able to take the service from his opponent twice. In the second act, the Briton served to win the match with a score of 5:3, but had to accept the equalization of sets with four losses in a row. In the decision-making process, Murray made the decisive break when the score was 4: 3 and served out the 6: 4, 5: 7, 6: 3 success after 2:47 hours of play.
In the quarterfinals, the No. 52 in the ATP ranking faces the French youngster Luca van Assche, who defeated his No. 3 compatriot Adrian Mannarino in three sets.