Andy Murray secured another hard-fought victory against Matteo Berrettini, who showed signs of fatigue and had to lean on his racket for support during Murray’s 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win at the Miami Open on Wednesday.
Berrettini, playing his first ATP Tour match this season, experienced dizziness while serving with Murray leading 5-2 in the second set. He leaned his racket on the court for balance and was attended to by a medical staffer, who checked his blood pressure before play resumed.
Although Berrettini left the court after losing the second set, he managed to complete the match, which lasted 2 hours and 49 minutes.
This match echoed Murray’s previous epic encounter with Berrettini at the 2023 Australian Open, where Murray clinched a 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (10-6) victory in over 4 1/2 hours.
Reflecting on his win, Murray commented, “It was a great win for me. Started a little bit slow, but then I did think I played pretty well across the end of the first set through to the end of the match.”
Berrettini, plagued by injuries, had not played a tour-level match since retiring in the second round of last year’s U.S. Open. He made a return last week and reached the final of a Challenger tour event in Phoenix.
Murray, a two-time Miami Open champion, notched his 30th win at the tournament, joining Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal as the only active players with 30 wins at the event. The 36-year-old will face No. 29 seed Tomas Etcheverry in the second round.
In the women’s competition, Naomi Osaka marked her return to Miami with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Elisabetta Cocciaretto. Osaka, a two-time U.S. Open champion, will next face No. 15 seed Elina Svitolina in the second round.
Other notable results on the opening day included Sloane Stephens defeating Angelique Kerber 6-2, 6-3, and Donna Vekic overcoming Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. In the men’s matches, Denis Shapovalov and Martin Damm Jr. emerged victorious.
With the 32 seeded players receiving first-round byes, the tournament is set to feature more thrilling matchups in the upcoming rounds, with Aryna Sabalenka, the No. 2 seed, expected to kick off her campaign against Paula Badosa on Friday.
