For much of this most challenging period of Andy Murray’s career, as he has encountered problems that would not have occurred with younger legs and a more functional hip, he has continually explained what still drives him each day. He believes there is something left in him, even if he is not exactly sure how far he can go. Most important, he believes the evidence is there, laid out in his numerous strong performances against top players over the past year.
Ten years on from his maiden grand slam win on these grounds, he pieced together another strong performance. Murray played a clean, disciplined match that was even more one-sided than the scoreline suggests, neutralising the No 24 seed, Francisco Cerundolo, and his nuclear forehand in the suffocating New York humidity to reach the second round of the US Open with a 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 win. The victory marks Murray’s first straight-sets grand slam win since Wimbledon 2017, when he was ranked No 1.
“It felt like five sets to me,” he said afterwards, laughing. “Very, very tricky conditions today. Very humid and hot. Really happy with the way I got through that one. It’s not easy, he’s had a very good season.”
Despite the fact that Murray arrived on court with a clear opportunity, it was not a simple task. Cerundolo, a 24 year-old Argentinian, has gained more than 100 ranking spots this year and reached a recent career high ranking of 24 after starting the season 127th.
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The early months of Cerundolo’s breakthrough year included a run to the semi-final on the hard courts of the Miami Masters 1000 event in March. But since then, his best results, including his first career title last month in Båstad, have come on clay. He arrived in New York having lost in the first round of his two pre-US Open hard court events, both to top-30 players. His success has been driven by his huge forehand and solid athleticism.
The summer had started promisingly, with Murray skipping the French Open in favour of preparing for the grass season. In Stuttgart he produced some of his best tennis in years, but his hopes were first blunted by an abdominal injury in the final against Matteo Berrettini, then a ballistic serving display by John Isner in the second round of Wimbledon. He came into the US hard court swing hoping to build on the Stuttgart run and clinch a US Open seeding, only for him to struggle with cramps in three of his four events.
This time, there was no sign of any physical issues despite the tough conditions. Murray immediately dragged Cerundolo into long exchanges, maintaining depth and keeping him from using his big forehand. An indication of his level came early at 1-1 as he won a brutal rally, chasing down a drop shot and then placing a sweet sliced overhead at full stretch for a winner. He was clean and thorough, shrinking the court with his defence, returning extremely well and he offered few errors.
Murray first served for the set at 5-3, missing an easy overhead at 15-15 and drawing gasps from the dismayed crowd, then he struck two more errors as he lost his serve. As Cerundolo served to stay in the set at 4-5, Murray struck a drop volley that bounced twice before his opponent reached it, but the umpire did not see it and awarded the point to the Argentinian.
While Murray was arguing with the umpire, the bounce was shown twice on the big screen. The entire stadium stopped to watch the footage in silence and confirmation of the second bounce prompted widespread boos from the crowd. Cerundolo then decided to concede the point. During their handshake, Murray commended his opponent for his sportsmanship.
Although the Argentinian held firm, Murray continued to impose pressure with consistent, deep and early returns. He broke serve for the set courtesy of a double fault on set point from Cerundolo, and then he breezed through the match to record a solid win. In the end, his only issue was his failure to serve out the first and second sets at the first opportunity.
After a bitter summer, Murray has a hopeful step forward. The evidence is certainly there that Murray is still capable of beating great players; he has done so, clinching four top 20 wins over the past year. He began his season with a similar win, taking out 21st seed Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round of the Australian Open, but Murray then played an atrocious second round match and lost in straight sets to Taro Daniel, ranked 120 at the time.
While Murray has been able to deliver good individual performances at times, he has rarely been able to build on them with a block of consistent wins. The important question is whether his form and body can hold up over a series of matches, allowing him to gain some momentum and tread deeper into draws. Having absorbed Cerundolo’s spot in the draw as a seeded player, he has an opportunity as he faces either Australia’s John Millman or Emilio Nava, a 20 year-old American wild card, for a place in the third round.
World number one Daniil Medvedev opened his title defence by walloping American Stefan Kozlov 6-2 6-4 6-0 on Arthur Ashe Stadium
The Russian had an inconsistent run-up to Flushing Meadows but was back to top form on the court where he won his maiden grand slam title a year ago, sending across 10 aces and neutralising Kozlov’s serve.
“Most pleased to win first of all … not easy conditions,” said Medvedev, who repeatedly wrapped an ice towel around his neck to keep cool in the conditions. “Serve was quite the key today.”
The pair traded breaks early in the first set before Medvedev got his motor running, clinching the next four games as Kozlov won fewer than half of his first-serve points.
Kozlov was no match for Medvedev’s raw power in the second set. The American scraped his wrist and knee after he dived to retrieve the ball, but ended up falling to the ground heavily in the ninth game that saw Medvedev break him to love.
He called on the trainer to tend to the injuries but Medvedev showed no mercy as he raced through the final set like a bullet train in just 27 minutes to set up a meeting with Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech in the second round. – Guardian
