London, June 19 (IANS) Five-time champion Andy Murray earned victory in his 1000th tour-level match when he overcame Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 at the Queen’s Club Championships.
In the process, Murray has made history after becoming the first British tennis player in the Open Era to have played 1000 ATP tour-level matches.
“I didn’t realise, but my mum told me before the match that this was my 1000th match on the Tour. A lot of matches and a lot of wear and tear in the body and it is not easy but I managed to push through,” Murray said in his on-court interview.
In achieving this feat, Murray joined an elite club of tennis legends, ranking sixth only behind Richard Gasquet (1,004), Fernando Verdasco (1,006), David Ferrer (1,111), Rafael Nadal (1,300), Novak Djokovic (1,324) and Roger Federer (1,526).
Of the 1000 tour-level matches he’s played – the three-time Grand Slam champion has racked up an impressive win record, securing 738 victories to 261 losses across his career – placing him 14th on the all-time list for most ATP matches won.
After the first set went the way of the Brit, Popyrin managed to force his way back into the battle. The Australian tightened up on serve – landing 83 per cent of first serves in comparison to just 57 per cent in the first set, the Queen’s club reports.
Having given little away on serve, Popyrin needed just one break to draw level in the first round encounter and take it to a deciding set.
Despite the setback, Murray managed to re-group as he caught sight of an early breakthrough in the third – launching a passing shot across the Aussie, before coming back from 0-30 down on his next service game to consolidate the break.
The three-time Grand Slam winner capped off the win in style with a delicate dropshot at the net.
Murray is now set to take on Jordan Thompson in the next round after the Australian downed seventh seed Rune in his opener on Monday.
–IANS
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