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Andy Murray Wimbledon 2021
Andy Murray, ATP Tennis Players, Tennis News

Andy Murray returns with impressive win in Cincinnati


Three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray took advantage of his wildcard entry at the Western & Southern Open with an opening round 6-4, 6-4 victory against Richard Gasquet.

The match at the ATP 1000 event was Murray’s first singles match since Wimbledon in July following his withdrawal at the Tokyo Olympics with a thigh strain, although he did play in the doubles alongside Joe Salisbury.

The Brit hit an impressive 14 aces, including 10 in just the first set, to Gasquet’s three as the pair played out an entertaining encounter in Cincinnati, Murray finished with 38 winners for the match. The 34-year-old won the tournament in 2008 and 2011.

“The courts and the balls are pretty fast. Obviously playing in the evening slows it down a little bit but that was to my advantage,” Murray said.

“He played with a lot of spin and during the day the ball gets up very high but he wasn’t able to get as high on me today so I was able to step in and control a lot of the points.

“When I play like that, I create opportunities and can put a lot of pressure on my opponent.”

“It’s amazing. They were saying it’s the 16th year I’ve been here. I don’t think I’ve played any tournament more than that.” he added.

He will face the winner of ninth seed Hubert Hurkacz and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the second round.


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Tim Farthing, Tennishead Editorial Director & Owner, has been a huge tennis fan his whole life. He's a tennis journalist and entrepreneur as well as playing tennis to a national standard. He also helps manage his local club and volunteers for his local tennis organisation. He's a specialist in content about the administration of professional tennis and tennis coaching for all levels.