Frustrated Murray finds way past pesky Lorenzi

Tournament favorites Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Serena Williams will resume their respective campaigns in the 2016 Open Tennis in NY. The world No2, who had not dropped a set in the tournament, took three hours and 17 minutes to subdue the courageous challenge of an Italian veteran, Paolo Lorenzi, and it was the loser who walked off Arthur Ashe Court to the louder applause. The second seed looked in control of his third round match against Paolo Lorenzi, despite losing one set. “Grigor has been playing well the last few weeks”.

“Hopefully I will play a good match because I will need to if I am to get through”.

“I worked it out, won, got through, and I didn’t play well”.

As Lorenzi took a comfort break, Murray regripped his racket and regrouped in his chair before racing through the third set. He also struck 63 unforced errors, almost twice as many as Lorenzi.

It was won by the Scot and Murray was off and running, although Lorenzi held his own first service game just as comfortably.

Murray plays down the role he’s played in developing Edmund and Evans, insisting that they deserve all the credit for turning themselves into world class players. He did not appear to bring a lot to the table except a late-career surge that probably surprised even him. Again, whether all of them always believed that or not, I don’t know.

Now at the US Open he’s through to the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time.

The 40th-ranked Lorenzi put up a gritty fight despite coming off a gruelling five-set, five-hour win over French 30th seed Gilles Simon in his second-round tilt. Dimitrov, who is experiencing a tournament of resurgence, dealt a three set loss to Murray in the Miami Masters this year.

ANDY MURRAY says Britain’s new men’s tennis stars are making HIM better – not the other way round.

He staved off four break points to remain in the set but was helped by Murray’s over-eagerness to finish some points quickly. It all ended just a few points later when Babos double-faulted on match point. The Brit hit a remarkable 63 unforced errors, and for much of the first two sets struggled to find a strategy to blunt Lorenzi’s attack. Who would have thought it? I’m enjoying waking up in the morning early to come to practice.

Murray broke back but parity was temporary as a superb rally ended with a brilliant Lorenzi lob and the Italian sneaked the set to draw level.

They exchanged breaks at the start of the second, then Murray sent a couple of rackets to the stringer.

Murray though was up first, in what many confidently predicted would be a quick match.

Looking more and more comfortable, Murray broke again to open the fourth, and after he fended off a break point in the next game the affair took on an air of inevitability.

Both players are rattling up the rankings and are expected to break into the top 50 at the end of the tournament – and both make it clear they benefit from working and watching Murray go about his business at close quarters.

Murray repaired the damage in the third. Murray smiled: “Yeah, occasionally”.