Andy Murray’s quest for a record-breaking fifth title at The Queen’s Club got off to a shaky start after he edged past France’s Nicolas Mahut 7-6(8), 7-6(2).
The first round encounter was a stern test for Murray, who was playing his first match on the grass this year. Just over 24 hours prior to their meeting, Mahut defeated Gilles Muller to win the Ricoh Open for the second consecutive year. In doing so the Frenchman has become the first doubles world No.1 to win a singles ATP title since 2005.
In front of his home crowd Murray battled throughout a tight opening set with Just two points separating him from the Frenchman (43-41). After an exchange of breaks, the set was decided by a thrilling tiebreaker, which consisted of five breaks of service. Failing to convert his first two set points, the top seed then had to save a set point before clinching the 10-8 lead after 54 minutes of play.
Proceedings worsen for Murray in the second set after a winning smash from Mahut rewarded him with a break for 3-1. The Frenchman fired an array of outstanding shots as he continued the form which recently took him to the title in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. It seemed inevitable that the match would be heading towards a deciding set until an unexpected slump in Mahut’s performance at 5-3. Succumbing to the pressure being applied by Murray, a duo of unforced errors handed the top seed the break back, reigniting his hopes of a straight sets victory.
Saving a trio of set points, Murray managed to take the second set into another tiebreaker. An injury scare occured for Mahut after he slipped on the court during, but luckily it wasn’t serious and he managed to continue playing. That was the only consolation for the Frenchman in an otherwise Murray dominated tiebreaker. A deep serve down the line rewarded the world No.1 with his first series of match points. He was successful on his first after a rally concluded with him hitting an easy volley near the net.
One highlight of Murray’s opening performance at the Queen’s Club was his serve. The world No.2 won 73% of his service points and fired an impressive 15 aces.
“It was tough. Nico won the tournament last week and is a very accomplished grass-court player. With the weather like it is, we have not been able to get out and hit over the past few days.” Murray told BBC sport.
“It is frustrating for both of us when the court is slippy because you want to get in the position to play your best tennis. Hopefully he did not hurt himself too much in that last set because no-one wants that with Wimbledon round the corner.
“Ivan doesn’t give any signs during the match. He has a pretty straight face. But it is great to have him back and, working with Jamie Delgado, I think it is a pretty strong team. Hopefully they can help me win more big events.”
In the last 16 Murray will play either Britain’s Aljaz Bedene or France’s Benoit Paire.
