Second seed Andy Murray flirted with disaster before beating nemesis Marcos Baghdatis 7-6, 2-6, 6-4 in a cliffhanger to reach the last 16 of the Japan Open.
|Last Updated: Oct 05, 2011, 03:42 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Tokyo: Second seed Andy Murray flirted with disaster before beating nemesis Marcos Baghdatis 7-6, 2-6, 6-4 in a cliffhanger to reach the last 16 of the Japan Open on Wednesday.
Briton Murray, fresh from winning his third title of the year in Bangkok, left it late to avoid a fourth defeat in five meetings against the Cypriot on his return to Tokyo.
Making his first appearance in Japan since 2006, Murray took the first set tiebreak 7-4 with a ferocious serve Baghdatis challenged in vain, the Scot marching off to his seat without bothering to look up at the slow-motion replay.
With the centre court roof closed because of heavy rain outside, Baghdatis caught fire in the second set, while Murray`s temper looked like boiling over in the face of intense pressure.
Down 3-1 in the decider after another loose shot, Murray hit back for 3-3, letting out a roar after forcing Baghdatis to net a backhand and hauling himself back into the match.
Baghdatis, a former Australian Open runner-up, blinked first, saving one match point set up by an astonishing backhand lob from Murray.
It proved only a temporary stay of execution as Murray forced him into a wild backhand moments later to secure a place in the next round, where American Alex Bogomolov awaits.
Sixth seed Janko Tipsarevic, who won his first ATP Tour title by beating Baghdatis for the Malaysian Open title at the weekend, came down to earth with a bump.
The Serbian was upset 7-6, 6-7, 7-5 by Russia`s Dmitry Tursunov in a marathon first round match which lasted a shade over three hours.
Matches on outside courts were suspended due to bad weather.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.