TENNIS US OPEN – Andy Murray overcame a third-set loss to battle through Robin Haase in four sets with 6-3 7-6 (8-6) 1-6 7-5 to advance to the second round in the opening day of the US Open, a tournament he won in 2012. Murray suffered from cramps and hamstring problems. Diego Sampaolo
Andy Murray got a double break to cruise to 4-0 in the first set. Haase broke serve but Murray closed out the first set easily with 6-3. The Scotsman made a series of double faults in the first two sets but he managed to close out the second set in the tie-break with 8-6.
Murray began suffering from cramps at the start of the third set and Haase broke serve three times to cruise to a clear 6-1. The Dutch player reeled off nine consecutive games to cruise to a comfortable 3-0 in the fourth set. Murray managed to hold a crucial serve to keep his hopes alive.
Suffering from cramps Murray went down a break but he rallied from a 1-4 deficit in a hard-fought fourth set. Haase broke serve twice in the fourth set and got the chance to force the match to the fifth set when he served at 5-3 but he began suffering from injury problems and needed treatment. Once again Murray faced a serious threat against Haase at the US Open.
Murray hit winners to claw his way back into the set. Murray broke serve in the 11th game before closing out with 7-5 on his third match point after three hours and eight minutes on a hot day in New York.
Murray won 60 percent of his first serve points and made 51 unforced errors.
Three years ago the Scotsman rallied from two sets down to win a second-round match at Flushing Meadows in the fifth set.
He set up a second round match against surprising German qualifier Matthias Bachinger who beat Radek Stepanek in three sets with 6-3 6-2 6-2
“I started cramping at the beginning of the third set at the front of my quad and then in my forearm. It was not particularly comfortable and I just tried to hang around as long as possible and I managed to get through. I was in a good position at 2-0 but I didn’t know whether to go for it at the beginning of the third set or conserve energy and go for it in the fourth. It wasn’t easy for Robin either”, said Murray
