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SPORTS Wednesday 18 January 2023
Andy Murray tops Berrettini in 5-set epic at Australian Open

By HOWARD FENDRICH playing; I don’t know what
AP Tennis Writer it looked like.”
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) Looked terrific, Andy.
— Metal hip, bloody knee Murray and Berrettini con-
and all, Andy Murray pro- cluded with the first-to-10-
duced his biggest victory in points, win-by-2 tiebreaker
years. formula that all Grand Slam
Murray built a huge lead, events adopted for the fifth
let it disappear complete- sets of men’s matches and
ly, then needed to save a third sets of women’s. Mur-
match point against Mat- ray said it was his first expe-
teo Berrettini who is near- rience with that relatively
ly a full decade younger new format.
and ranked more than 50 Make no mistake: He was
places higher before man- far better in that decisive
aging to pull out a 6-3, 6-3, section of the match, jump-
4-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (10-6) tri- ing out to leads of 5-0 and
umph across more than 4 8-3. It ended in a bit of anti-
1/2 epic hours on Tuesday climactic fashion: Murray’s
in the Australian Open’s first service return clipped the
round. net cord and trickled over
“The last few years, I’ve for a winner.
certainly questioned myself “Just a bit lucky at the end,”
at times. There’s certainly a said Murray, who next will
lot of people (who) ques- meet Thanasi Kokkinakis or
tioned me and my ability, Andy Murray of Britain plays a forehand return to Matteo Berrettini of Italy during their first round Fabio Fognini. Their match
whether I could still perform match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Jan. 17, was suspended for the
at the biggest events and 2023. night with Kokkinakis five
the biggest matches,” said Associated Press points from winning.
the 35-year-old Murray, a Murray has wondered
former No. 1 now ranked stadiums like this, in match- ver Arena couldn’t possi- hours before the big-hitting, aloud whether all of the
No. 66. “I felt very proud es like this, against players bly equal the intensity and big-serving Berrettini turned work he put in to get back
of myself after the match. like Matteo,” Murray told a drama. things around and took the to a level of play that satis-
That’s not something that I crowd that roared with ap- First came a 7-6 (8), 4-6, 6-1 match to a fifth, even com- fied him was worth it.
generally felt over the years proval for him. “And it paid win for the No. 2-seeded ing within one point of vic- “I need to give myself
at the end of tennis match- off tonight.” woman, Ons Jabeur, over tory at 5-4 in that set but fal- some credit, because the
es.” Oh, yes, what a perfor- Tamara Zidansek, followed tering and flubbing an easy last few years have been
This was the three-time ma- mance it was, filled with by nine-time champion backhand. tough,” Murray said. “I’ve
jor champion’s first defeat the sort of grit that defined Djokovic’s 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 de- By beating the 13th-seed- lost a few of those match-
of a top-20 opponent at much of Murray’s time on feat of Roberto Carballes ed Berrettini, who was the es, those type of matches,
a Grand Slam tournament tour, that carried him to Baena in his return to the runner-up at Wimbledon in in the Slams the last couple
since 2017. That was before championships at the U.S. Australian Open after be- 2021, Murray became only years.”
Murray thought he would Open in 2012 and at Wim- ing deported from the the fifth man in the Open He arrived in Australia hav-
need to retire and even bledon in 2013 and 2016 country a year ago for not era with 50 match wins at ing lost in the first or second
was given a career send- and to two Olympic singles being vaccinated against the Australian Open, join- round in seven of his nine
off at Melbourne Park in gold medals. COVID-19. In a match that ing Djokovic, Federer, Ra- most recent Grand Slam
2019, when he exited in the Murray is also a five-time ended after 1 a.m., the fael Nadal and Stefan Ed- appearances. The other
first round a year after his runner-up at Melbourne second-seeded man, two- berg. two ended in the third
first hip operation. Park, with four losses in the time major finalist Casper They played under a closed round.
After a second surgery final to Novak Djokovic and Ruud, got past Tomas roof at Laver because of For now, this one continues.
inserted an artificial hip, one to Roger Federer. Machac 6-3, 7-6 (6), 6-7 (5), temperatures that soared “It’s impressive what he
Murray decided to try to “He’s a great champion. I 6-3. up to 100 degrees Fahren- could do after so many
continue playing. This sort said it so many times,” said Djokovic received a loud heit (38 degrees Celsius) surgeries, after all the ki-
of evening was likely what Berrettini, an Italian who is and warm reception when and caused suspensions lometers that he ran in his
he had in mind when he one of the players chron- he entered the court from of play that lasted hours in career.
pressed on and when he icled in the new “Break fans who chanted his nick- matches on smaller courts It’s impressive,” Berret-
spent three weeks in Boca Point” Netflix docuseries. name and waved dozens that can’t be covered. Lat- tini said. “It just shows how
Raton, Florida, practic- “Personally, was great to of Serbian flags. er, a rainstorm came, cre- much he loves the game,
ing under the tutelage of play with that atmosphere There were moments Tues- ating another pause in the how much he loves these
coach Ivan Lendl during against him. Just a great day when Murray played action, and several match- kind of matches.”q
the offseason. match. as he did a long time ago, es were halted in progress,
“I’ve put a lot of work into Unfortunately it didn’t go diving to hit a volley be- with plans to resume on
the last few months with my way.” fore slamming to the blue Wednesday.

my team to give me the The night session matches court scraping his right leg This was the most-anticipat-
opportunity to perform on that followed in Rod La- or sprinting to somehow ed match of the afternoon
reach seemingly unreach- session and lasted so long
LIKE US ON able shots, then looking up it finished after 7 p.m. local
into the stands at Lendl and time, most definitely living
shaking a fist while yelling, up to the hype.
“Let’s go! Come on now!” “Some of the tennis at the
Murray raced through the end was really good,” Mur-
Facebook.com/arubatoday/ first two sets in less than 1 1/2 ray said. “It felt like that