Andy Murray gave his hopes of being seeded for the US Open a boost as he beat Max Purcell to make the last 16 of the Canadian Open. Former world No. 1 Murray is currently at No. 36 in the live rankings and next faces world No. 9 Jannik Sinner, who beat fellow Italian Matteo Berrettini in straight sets. Murray and Sinner have a 1-1 head-to-head record.
Andy Murray reached the last 16 of the Canadian Open in Toronto with a hard-fought victory over Australia’s Max Purcell to set up an encounter with Italian star Jannik Sinner.
The former world No. 1, who is a three-time winner of the ATP 1000 tournament, won through 7-6(2) 3-6 7-5 after a struggle to overcome his opponent as he found an extra gear late in the final set.
Murray will next face world No. 8 Sinner, who beat fellow Italian Matteo Berrettini 6-4 6-3. The British legend and Sinner have a 1-1 head-to-head record but haven’t faced each other since early 2022.
Victory over Purcell will give Murray’s ranking position a slight boost as he aims to get into the top 32 to be seeded for the US Open later this month.
The 36-year-old has progressed to world No. 36 in the Live ATP Rankings, his highest mark since he was ranked at world No. 29 in April 2018, as a result of his efforts this week in Toronto.
Murray made an encouraging start against Purcell, holding to love in the third game and then breaking to take a 3-1 lead.
But world No. 78 Purcell responded by taking the next game and then firing down a love service game of his own.
MURRAY MANIA 😱
The Brit recovers from 4-2 down in the 3rd set to reach R3 7-6 3-6 7-5!#NBO23 pic.twitter.com/3gDux4Nhx3
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 10, 2023
Murray looked frustrated with his returning but secured a gritty hold from 15-30 behind after letting a slice from Purcell sail past him at the net thinking it was out.
Murray faced a break point in the game but showed his brilliant defensive skills to save it, returning a smash before Purcell missed a short ball.
The miss would prove costly for Purcell as the set went to a tie-break and Murray moved 4-1 ahead after an excellent drop shot.
Murray moved further clear and took the set when Purcell went wide with a forehand.
It looked like Murray was in the ascendancy at the start of the second set, but he was then broken to love, dragging a backhand wide to hand Purcell a 4-2 lead.
Purcell followed up with a hold and soon closed out the set to level the match, forcing Murray to go the distance once more.
The Brit was the one to find the crucial edge at the business end of the decisive final set as he broke serve from having been level at 5-5 to secure a hard-earned victory.
