Two-time Miami Open champion Andy Murray defeated struggling Italian Matteo Berrettini 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in their first-round match at Hard Rock Stadium on Wednesday . Berrettini nearly collapsed on court toward the end of the second set and required medical attention, but kept fighting. The Italian recently returned to tour after an injury-plagued 2023 and reached the finals of the Phoenix Challenger. He broke Murray’s serve in the first set and firmly controlled the first set.
But his performance declined severely in the second quarter. With a 5-2 deficit, he walked off the court dizzy and requested a medical timeout.
The weather in Miami wasn’t particularly hot or humid, and was more pleasant and mild than conditions at games in previous years.
The 27-year-old former world No. 6 put in a better performance in the third set, but a solid-looking Murray ended the match in two hours and 47 minutes.
Murray committed just 20 unforced errors to Berrettini’s 44 as the Scot claimed his fourth consecutive first-round win.
“The old dog lives on,” Murray wrote on the television cameras at the end of the game, pleased with the manner of his victory.
“I was a little slow at the beginning, but I did think I played well from the middle of the first set to the end of the match,” he said.
“I created a lot of chances and he struggled a little bit at the end of the second quarter and the beginning of the third quarter. I took advantage of that and got off to a fast start in the third quarter. I served well at the end.”
Murray, who won the Miami Open in 2009 and 2013, will face 29th-seeded Argentine Thomas Martin Echeverri in the next round.
Osaka Stephens advances
In the WTA event, four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka easily defeated Italian player Cociareto 6-3, 6-4 in 1 hour and 18 minutes to enter the second round.
Osaka took more than a year off after giving birth and is currently ranked 229th in the world. She is returning to the stage where she reached the finals in 2022, where she lost to Iga Swiatek.
Osaka said her performance was her best since returning to tour in Brisbane in January.
“Honestly, it was probably the freest I’ve ever been at hitting the ball, the closest to the feeling I wanted to capture going forward, so I would say that was probably my best game as far as shooting… I’ve had my best swing since I’ve been back,” she said.
Osaka will face another mother in the second round when she takes on Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina – who has returned to the top 20 after 12 months on the court – —Osaka said the return inspired her.
“I remember watching her play at Wimbledon when I was pregnant and I thought I’d be able to go there one day. I think she’s always been a really good player, so her return to the top 20 was a big plus for me. It’s not surprising. This is where she belongs,” Osaka said.
American Sloane Stephens defeated Angelique Kerber 6-2, 6-3 in a clash between the two former Grand Slam champions.
Stephens, who is celebrating her 31st birthday, was in the lead throughout her match against the German who performed well in Indian Wells and reached the fourth round.
Stephens, the 2018 Miami champion, will face No. 19 seed Sorana Sistia of Romania in the second round.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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