Five-time Australian Open finalist Andy Murray got his biggest win since his hip resurfacing surgery on Tuesday, defeating 13th seed Matteo Berrettini 6-3 6-3 4-6 6-7(7) 7-6(6) after four hours and 49 minutes.
This match was circled as one of the most exciting match-ups in the opening round and got its deserved Rod Laver Arena spot. Very few expected the absolute classic that this match will go down as.
Australian Open R1: Andy Murray Def. Matteo Berrettini
Murray’s Strong Opening
Berrettini had won their past three meetings, including a convincing four-set win in the third round of last year’s US Open. Murray was the player to take initiative at the start of the match under the closed roof. The Brit broke in the second game after a poorly-executed plus-one drop shot from Berrettini. Murray was aggressive throughout the set while Berrettini looked sluggish and did not impress on serve. The Brit forced Berrettini into his backhand and the Italian could not come up with an answer as his decision-making and shot selection faltered. Murray took the opener 6-3.
The former World No. 1 continued his momentum into the second set, breaking in the first game after a brilliant backhand passing shot. Berrettini was unable to break out of the pattern that led to Murray dominating most of the rallies. The Brit got a second break to finish the set 6-3, going two-sets-to-love up on Berrettini, who looked utterly devoid of answers.
Berrettini’s Turning Point
The Italian started showing signs of life in the third game of the third set, getting a break point after Murray hit a swing volley into the bottom half of the net. Berrettini got more aggressive on return but Murray dug in and held to go 2-1 up. Next came an important hold for Berrettini in the fourth game, saving two break points, which swung the momentum his way. The Italian leaned more into his favored inside-out forehand and sliced a lot more backhands, which paid off right away as he set up a break point in the very next game with a slice backhand passing shot down the line. After a forehand error from Murray, Berrettini got his first break in the match. The Italian’s service performance also improved and he served the set out successfully, 6-4.
Two and a Half Hours of Magical Tennis
The fourth set was a battle without any breaks or deuces but with high-level tennis that was a step above the first three. The crowd was whipped into a frenzy, getting behind Murray in a major way. As Leyhani’s calls started to take on their signature theatrics, the set came down to a tiebreak. The first four points were held by the servers but Murray gave away the first advantage to Berrettini, hitting a backhand error after a slice from the Italian. Berrettini, who had won his last nine tiebreaks at the Australian Open coming into this match, gave the minibreak right back though, unleashing a poor forehand error that took the tiebreak into the first changeover at 3-3.
Berrettini aced down the tee for 4-3 but Murray forced a backhand error for 4-4. The Italian gained the advantage of a minibreak again for 5-4, winning an incredible 24-shot rally. Murray came up with a gorgeous forehand passing shot down the line from a seemingly desperate position in the corner to tie at 5-5. The Italian leaned on his serve again, acing for 6-5. Berrettini missed a backhand into the net and the tiebreak was tied at the changeover again. It looked like heartbreak for Murray as his diving volley sailed long after an outrageous one-handed backhand from the Italian, setting up Berrettini to serve at set point. A slice from a position fit for an approach shot went long for 7-7. Berrettini set up a third set point with some great net play, forcing Murray into an error. The Brit went passive in the rally down 7-8, Berrettini patiently set up an advantage in the rally and Murray’s forehand sailed long to seal the set for the 13th seed, who was playing some of his best tennis.
Berrettini was brilliant on serve throughout the fifth set while it seemed like Murray had to hang on in rallies despite dominating the first two sets. The Italian’s opportunity came at 5-4 40-30 on Murray’s serve but Berrettini hit a backhand approach shot into the net with the court wide open on match point. Almost any shot that would have made it over the net would have sufficed. Murray fought back and after two deuces got a game point and aced to close out the game.
Deciding set
The fifth set went down to a ten-point tiebreak. Murray started on song, hitting a backhand into an open court after a well-executed drop shot to go up 1-0. Aggressive baseline play from the Glasgow native gave him the lead of 2-0, Berrettini’s expecting a let call that never came cost him the next point and after two more errors from Berrettini, Murray was halfway there. Berrettini finally got himself on the board just before the changeover, started swinging more freely and getting points but Murray kept pace, developing an 8-3 lead. The Italian got on a bit of a run after some great rallies, taking the lead down to 8-6. After some solid net play, Murray got three match points at 9-6, winning the match with the help of the net cord on return, taking the ball out of Berrettini’s reach.
Murray’s Quotes
ESJohn Fitzgerald interviewed Sir Andy Murray after the match.
On whether he was tired after the match: “I’ll be feeling it this evening and tomorrow but right now I’m just proud of myself. It’s been a lot of work with my team to give me an opportunity to play on these stages like against Matteo tonight.”
On Berrettini: “He was serving unbelievable, he’s a brilliant competitor as well, one of the best competitors on the tour. He always fights right to the end. I did well to get through.”
On the match: “That’s the first time I’ve ever played one of those ten-point tiebreakers and it’s a bit different. When you’re up six-one or seven-one it feels like you’re still quite far away. I was just a bit lucky there at the end with the net cord but I think some of the tennis at the end was pretty good. It felt like that playing, I don’t know what it looked like.
“I had a couple of break points early in the third set and didn’t get them. He served well on those points and the momentum changed after that. It felt to me like he was serving unbelievable, so accurate and so close to the lines. I made a couple of tweaks right at the end of the fifth set. Maybe I could have done that sooner to get a few more returns back and play. He played extremely well the past three sets.”
Murray will now face either his nemesis Fabio Fognini or Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round and will be a favorite to set up an Australian Open rematch with Roberto Bautista Agut in the third round, who had seemingly sent him off to retirement in Melbourne back in 2019. 35-year-old Andy Murray has only just gotten started in his Melbourne campaign.
Main photo from Getty
