Cincinnati (AFP)
Scotsman Andy Murray won his first hardcourt match of the summer, beating Swiss Stan Wawrinka 7-6, 5-7, 7-5 in the opening round of the Cincinnati 1,000. Men’s Point Masters tournament and one of the 1,000th tournament for women.
The 35-year-old Murray and Wawrinka, who is two years older than him, will face him for the 22nd time in their career. “2016”, yellow football, to return to the highest level in the world, suffered from injuries for a long time, and last years.
Murray lost a thousand points in the first round of the Washington tournament and last week’s Masters in Montreal, Canada, while Wawrinka, who has fallen to world No. 306, had his last win at Queen’s in London on grass courts. June’s last win on hard courts was at last year’s championship Australian Open.
Murray, winner in Cincinnati in 2008 and 2011, making his 17th appearance, needed almost three hours to clinch the match and reach the second round.
“We’re not young anymore, we both did our best until the end,” said Scott, who reached the finals in Sydney earlier this year and Stuttgart earlier this summer on grass, rising to 47th in the world.
He continued, “Such matches are tougher than when we were in our mid-twenties, we both love the game and we’ve had problems with injuries in the last few years.”
Ninth-ranked Cameron Norrie of Britain qualified for the second round with a 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 win over Denmark’s Holger Rohn.
Croatia’s Marin Cilic, who won the title in 2016, also beat Spain’s Jaime Moonar 6-3, 6-3, while Roberto Bautista had better luck. 6-4, 6 – 2 American John Isner, who reached the final in 2013 before losing to Spaniard Rafael Nadal, beat Frenchman Benjamin Ponsi 7-6, 3-6, 7-6.
Italy’s Matteo Berettini, the 12th seed and 2021 Wimbledon runner-up, lost 6-7, 6-4, 6-7 to France’s Frances Tiafoe in his second hardcourt match.
Among the women, Kazakhstan’s Elina Rybakina, who won this year’s Wimbledon, beat Egypt’s Mayer Sherif 6-3 6-2, and the world number 25 took on Spain’s Carbine Muguroza, the eighth winner in 2017.
The 23-year-old Kazakh raised his game in the second set, which he settled in his favour, with 4 aces and 13 aces against Sharif.
“I was slow at first, but I got my style back and sent it in a good way,” Rypakina said.
She confirmed that she is trying to adapt to her new situation and looking forward to her career, and continued: “Wimbledon has given me hope, but now I am focusing on my other tournaments and trying not to think about the past.”
In the most important matches, American Amanda Anisimova defeated Russian ninth seed Daria Kasatkina 6-4 6-4 and compatriot Alison Riske 6-1 7-6 over Spain’s Sara Sorips. 6 6-3 .
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