By Russell Miller
Andy Murray is through to the US Open third round for the first time in six years after coming from a set down to beat America’s Emilio Nava 5-7 6-3 6-1 6-0 in a match which lasted just over the three-hour mark.
The match was a tale of two halves as the opening set, which was full of extraordinary shotmaking from Nava, lasted almost the same length of time as the three sets Murray took after.
After winning his first ever Grand Slam main draw match on Monday, Nava looked sharp out of the blocks, and impressed with his aggressive game which produced 19 winners in the opening set. Murray saw 2 break points in the opening game go begging, followed by another at 2-2, before Nava was first to strike as he went 5-3 up.
Murray broke back immediately and consolidated the break to go level at 5-5, but Nava found his form again and took his first set point with a stunning forehand pass.
But it was clear from early in the second set that Nava couldn’t quite keep his high level up and was broken to go 3-2 down in the second set. Murray took the second 6-3, and then won 12 of the next 13 games against the wildcard ranked 200 in the world whose game fell apart towards the end of the match.
The Brit faces Matteo Berrettini next in a match that will show whether Murray can still compete with the top players in best of 5 set matches. He is seeking his first 4th round at a Major since Wimbledon in 2017.
“Physically this is the best I have felt in the last few years,” Murray, 35, said afterwards. “My movement is by far the best it has been in a long time, that has always been a really important part of my game. Nowadays, especially with a lot of guys hitting huge balls and you need to be able to defend well. I feel like I am doing that just now. I am getting closer to where I want to be and hopefully, I can have a deep run here.’’
