Andy Murray edged out Tennys Sandgren 6-3 6-7(6) 6-1 in Zhuhai to seal his first ATP World Tour win since January.
The Brit gained revenge for his loss to the American in Winston-Salem in August with a positive 2 hour and 41 minute victory in China.
Although there was a mini-blip in the second set tiebreak, Murray managed to control the match with his power and athleticism.
It means Murray has his first singles win since January, when he beat James Duckworth in Brisbane and will now face Alex De Minaur in the second round.
A vintage performance was produced by the three-time grand slam champion as he sealed the only break of serve in the sixth game of the opening set.
Although his returning game was back where it needed to be, his serving display was even better as he didn’t concede a break point all match.
Credit should be given to Sandgren though as he continued to push Murray to his limits as he saved match point and won the last three points to take the tiebreak 8-6.
However fitness was the key factor in this match and Murray had obviously been working on that part of his game since his last match in the Mallorca Challenger.
Two breaks of serve in the deciding set secured the 32 year-old’s first ATP win since January as he continues his singles comeback.
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After the match, Murray said that this was the best match of his comeback, “I think that in some ways that it’s one of the best wins that I’ve had, not in terms of just getting through that today, but with everything that’s gone into getting back to this point,” Murray was quoted as saying by The Times.
“Obviously after the operation in January it’s been difficult and it was undecided at times about whether I wanted to keep going or not. It’s been tough. But I’m really glad that I can actually get the win today and hopefully I’ll be able to keep going.”
The Brit’s fitness will be tested in the second round on Thursday as he prepares to meet 7th seed Alex De Minaur, who cruised past John Millman with the loss of four games.
It will be the first meeting between the two players with Murray expected to cover a lot of ground on Thursday in the biggest test of his comeback so far.
