Andy Murray defeats Hubert Hurkacz in Vienna opening round

Monday, 25 October 2021 at 21:30

Andy Murray is back to besting top 10 players as the Brit took down Hubert Hurkacz in two close sets 6-4 6-7(6) 6-3 to move on at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna.

The opening round match between Murray and Hurkacz was their 3rd match overall in 2021. They played twice before and each time Hurkacz was able to win in straight sets. This time around it was Murray's time for revenge as the Brit played a very good match to secure the huge win for himself. It started out rather harmless in the first set.

Hurkacz faced some early break points but he was able to wiggle out of that situation. After that, it became a classical indoor match with good serves and short rallies. Both kept each other away from any chances but late in the set Murray found a tiny opening. He took it to win the first set with 6-4. Hurkacz was not very sharp from the start especially on his forehand which he smashed wide a couple of times.

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Murray played a very smart style combining both defensive rallies and aggressive counterattacks. Both reverted back to great tennis at the start of the 3rd and we did not see a single break point chance. Then we saw multiple in consecutive games. Both had huge chances to break open the 2nd set at the midway point but neither was able to do so.

To be fair, both had tremendous holds every time they faced break points. In the final set, Hurkacz took an early 1-0 lead but Murray pulled it back right back. Murray was then able to wear down Hurkacz some more with the Pole's forehand woes once again bitting him. That was enough for Murray to win the final set with 6-3 and move on.

José Morgado

@josemorgado

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Andy Murray finally gets the big win he has been looking for! After having a MP in the 2nd set tiebreak, he comes back from a break down in the 3rd and beats Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3 to reach the 2nd round in Vienna (against Alcaraz). [getty]