Forgotten man Murray gives Tsitsipas a match to remember

Wednesday, 1 September 2021 00:55 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Andy Murray

NEW YORK (Reuters): Andy Murray may have been the forgotten man at the US Open but gave the crowd and Stefanos Tsitsipas a match to remember forcing the third seed to grind out a 2-6 7-6(7) 3-6 6-3 6-4 win on Monday to avoid the opening round shocker.

In the buildup to Flushing Meadows all the talk had centred round the Big Three, Novak Djokovic's hunt for the calendar-year Grand Slam and the absence of Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal.

But Murray reminded everyone there was a fourth Beatle in that dominant group as he turned back the clock on Arthur Ashe Stadium court looking more like the player who won the 2012 US Open title than the injury ravaged 34-year-old.

After reaching the final of the French Open, Tsitsipas arrived in New York and ready to take that final step to Grand Slam champion only to nearly stumble at the first hurdle, needing almost five hours in punishing conditions to see off the former world number one.

In the end the question was always going to be how much fuel did Murray have left in the tank and the answer was not enough.