WHAT HAPPENED: Andy Murray won his first US Open match in almost two years on Monday, but he was made to work for his victory in a hard-fought 6-7, 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 win over James Duckworth.
The 2012 US Open champion needed three hours and 17 minutes to dispatch the Australian in a battle of two players trying to work their way back from recent surgeries.
The win, which came on a hot and humid summer afternoon inside the new Louis Armstrong Stadium, was Murray's first triumph at a Grand Slam since he made the quarterfinals in London 14 months ago.
The Aussie claimed the opening 64-minute set in a tiebreak, marking the first time Murray has lost the first set in any of his 13 first-round matches in the Big Apple.
Duckworth—who had two surgeries on his right foot and one on his right shoulder in 2017, in addition to a third right foot surgery and a right elbow surgery earlier this year—came out with an aggressive game plan that quickly highlighted his all-or-nothing approach.
And while Duckworth's desire to dictate points and win or lose games on his own racquet was just enough to edge Murray out of a tight first set, it ultimately became his downfall as the Brit weathered the storm and let Duckworth tire himself out.
While Murray failed to convert on his three break points in the first set, including two set points at 5-6, Murray broke in the third game of the second set and on the only break point for either player, at 5-6 in the third.
Duckworth, who continued to hug the baseline and seemed reluctant to adopt a Plan B, saved two more break points at 2-3 in the fourth—the second of which clipped the net on the way over—but Murray converted his third chance to forge a 4-2 lead, which proved to be decisive.
After an exchange of holds, Murray served out the match at his first opportunity to advance to Round 2, setting up match point with a lunging passing shot on a full sprint from the baseline to the net that put a bow on a solid performance.
WHAT IT MEANS: It's been a long road back for Murray, a former world No. 1 as recently as November 2016, who has slipped to 382 in the rankings after an extensive layoff. After reaching the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 2017, Murray missed the next four majors after undergoing hip surgery in Melbourne in January.
His return at Wimbledon this summer was delayed as he needed time to get back to 100 percent, but he reached the quarters at a hard-court tune-up in Washington, D.C. last month, the biggest sign yet that he is slowly starting to return to his former self.
Murray will now play No. 31 seed Fernando Verdasco in the Round of 64, after the Spaniard dispatched countryman Feliciano Lopez in straight sets earlier in the day.
While Murray's health is still somewhat of a question mark going forward, he can take heart in knowing that he has won 13 of 14 meetings with Verdasco, including the past eight. Verdasco's lone win came in a five-set thriller in the Round of 16 at Melbourne Park in 2009.
MATCH POINT: After a nervous start as he tried to feel out his opponent, Murray became content with letting Duckworth swing for the fences. The Australian recorded 64 unforced errors to 50 winners against the 2012 Olympic champion, who was far steadier with 31 winners to 29 miscues.
