Max Purcell gave Andy Murray a lot of trouble in their match winning the opening set but Murray was able to come back and with the next two 6-2 6-1.
It was an interesting clash on the grassy courts of Newport and for while it seemed like Purcell was in full control. He won the first set 6-4 and was up 2-0 in the 2nd when Murray finally started playing better turning the match around. Purcell had some physical issues as well taking a MTO but opted to finish the match. Speaking after the match, Murray admitted the unorthodox style threw him off a bit.
"He has a very different game style to a lot of the players on Tour nowadays. He was using a lot of slice off of both sides, which is very rare. It took some time to get used to that way of playing."
He further added:
"Then once I started to find my rhythm a little bit in the middle of the second set, I was able to dictate points and push him around the court a little bit more, whereas in the first set I certainly wasn't doing that."
Next up for Murray is Alexander Bublik whom the Brit will face in the quarterfinals of the event. They had an interesting clash in Stuttgart a month ago where Bublik cursed Murray out in Russian. Murray was also seen with a slight limp after the win over Purcell.