Blood. Sweat. Tears. And a whole lot of heart ❤️ In his final tournament, @andy_murray and Evans save FIVE match points to win their #Paris2024 opening round!!
Andy Murray's farewell extended: Heroic comeback by Murray and Evans in doubles, saving 5 match points
ATPSunday, 28 July 2024 at 20:48
Andy Murray
and Daniel Evans secured an epic victory against Taro Daniel and Kei Nishikori
in the Olympic Games doubles. The British pair saved five consecutive match
points and ended up with an incredible comeback, winning 2-6, 7-6(5), 11-9.
The victory
ensures that Murray extends his farewell, at least for one more match. The
former world No. 1 decided not to participate in the singles draw due to not
being in his best physical shape, leaving only the doubles before finalizing
his retirement.
First set
The Suzanne
Lenglen court was packed to witness the possible farewell of one of the
greatest tennis players of the last decades. With great support from the crowd,
the former world No. 1 entered his fourth and final Olympic event alongside his
compatriot Evans.
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In the
beginning of the first set, each player managed to hold their service game,
making it 2-2. However, problems began for the British duo as both Murray and
Evans lost their serves in the following games and could do nothing from the
return.
The
Japanese pair took the first set 6-2, winning 89% of points on their first
serve and 80% on their second. On the other hand, the Brits managed only 35% of
points on their first serve and 38% on their second. Several unforced errors
from the Brits, coupled with the strong chemistry of the Asian pair, kept them
far from keeping pace.
Second Set
The second
set started poorly for the British pair, losing their serve right away and
seeing the Japanese take a 2-0 lead within minutes. The Evans/Murray duo's
resistance began to show results as they recovered the break and equalized 2-2.
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However,
the Europeans' joy was short-lived as they quickly lost their serve in the
fifth game, once again showing the same weaknesses they suffered in the first
set due to ineffective serving. The Japanese were up 4-2, and everything seemed
nearly decided.
A new reaction from the Europeans allowed them to recover the break and win three
consecutive games to unexpectedly take a 5-4 lead, as the crowd increasingly
supported Murray/Evans. Both countries managed to hold their service games for
the rest of the set, taking everything to a tie-break.
Andy Murray at 2023 Wimbledon.
Although
the Japanese took the first mini-break, they ended up conceding a couple of
service points, allowing the Europeans to win the set 7-6(5). Everything was
decided in the 10-point tie-break, which replaces the third set in Olympic
doubles.
After an even start, the Japanese duo began to take the lead by securing three consecutive mini-breaks. Daniel and Nishikori were up 9-4 with five match points in their favor. However, Murray and Evans didn't give up; they won the next seven points in a row and sealed an incredible 2-6, 7-6, 11-9 victory to advance to the second round, extending Murray's career for at least one more match.
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