ATP Doha: 3 match points saved - Andy Murray fights against Lorenzo Sonego in the round of 16
At the ATP World Tour 250 event in Doha , Andy Murray lived up to his reputation as a marathon man at the start against Lorenzo Sonego .
by Stefan Bergmann
last edit: Feb 20, 2023, 07:17 pm
Where Andy Murray is on it, there is unbelievable tension inside: In the first round of the ATP World Tour 250 tournament in Doha, the Briton managed an impressive turnaround towards the end of the game and defeated the Italian Lorenzo Sonego after a total of 2:30 hours of play 4:6, 6:1, 7:6 (4). The 35-year-old warhorse can now prepare for a round of 16 duel with Alexander Zverev, who was fourth in Qatar. The German number one is currently working on his comeback after more than half a year of tennis break due to injury.
The match between Sonego and Murray was certainly not for the faint of heart - especially in the closing stages. While the Italian was able to put his stamp on the first set, the two-time Wimbledon champion was in a class of his own in the second round. In the final act, neither of the two opponents was able to break away in the long term, only when the score was 4:5 and 15:40 did Murray serve two break points and thus match points for the southern European.
Martial Artist "Sir Andy"
Murray, arguably one of the greatest fighters on the tour, didn't give up, forcing the debut. Sonego was able to earn another breakball, but three points later the Scot equalized 5:5. In the short decision, the 27-year-old from Turin first roared away to 3-0 with two mini-breaks, but then the ex-world number one pushed himself to the limit again and only allowed Sonego to win one point.
The two-time Olympic champion (2012 London, 2016 Rio de Janeiro) fought great five-set battles with Matteo Berrettini and Thanasi Kokkinakis in the first two rounds of this year's Australian Open before failing in round three at the Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut . In addition to Zverev, Andrey Rublev, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev, who all have a bye in round one, are top seeded in Doha.