Diego Schwartzman ousts Andy Murray at Antwerp Open

Diego Schwartzman played another good match at the Antwerp European Open to send 2019 champion Andy Murray packing 6-4 7-6(6).

The Argentinian arrived in Belgium in good spirits after a solid outing at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. This was his first match and it was quite the match. The opponent was Andy Murray who looked very good in round 1 but also played almost four hours and it clearly affected him. The Brit gave it his all and at times looked very sharp but in the end, Schwartzman was able to wear him down.

The tactic employed by Diego was a smart one. He took it upon himself to be the aggressor forcing Murray on the defensive when he had to cover the court. Schwartzman was careful not to overhit often mainly forcing Murray to cover mileage that would wear him down as the match went on. Initially, Murray was able to handle it rather well having a 4-1 lead in the opening set.

However, slowly his step became a bit too slow and Schwartzman was finding angles more often. He pulled the break back and then added another one to win the first set with 6-4. It was a 5-game run for the Argentinian who found a way to break through the defence of Murray. In the 2nd set, Murray was able to adjust accordingly and despite conceding a fairly early break he would battle back.

Eventually, we ended up in a tiebreak and it was a very good one. Both players had brilliant moments and also cheap mistakes. Murray had a very solid chance to send the match into a 3rd set but the Brit never quite could find the right combination. He overhit a couple of times and it proved enough for Diego to move past him. Good event for Murray but fatigue hampered him today.