Andy Murray came under pressure against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at the 2022 Gijon Open, finding a moment of magic to turn things around.
The Brit fired a difficult forehand volley at 2-4, 30/40 to keep from falling behind with two break opportunities in the first set of the Gijon Open first round against sixth seed Davidovich Fokina.
It proved to be a defining moment as the former world number 1 held serve for 3-4 before leveling up to claim ten of the next 13 games to snatch a 7-5, 6-2 win.
“In the first set, he played a lot better than I did,” admitted Andy Murray after a 1 hour 44 minute win.
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“He had a lot of chances to get a second break and I was able to stay strong in those moments. At 3-4, he played a bad enough game to give me a break and after that, I started playing a little bit better.”
“I think he was a bit frustrated and in the second set his level dropped a little bit, but the end of the first set was very important, because he played really well and it was a difficult first set.”
Thanks to this victory, the tennis player who has bagged three Grand Slam titles is now pocketing 24-16. The tennis player, who has reached the finals in Sydney and Stuttgart this week, is eyeing his first title since he won the 2019 title in Antwerp.
“Of course I’m still enjoying it,” said Murray, who is still excited to add to his collection of titles that currently number 46.
“It’s not easy, the young players are developing very well and they are hitting the ball harder and harder. Sometimes it’s quite difficult to keep up with them, but I still enjoy it.”
Waiting for Murray in the second round of the Gijon Open is Pedro Cachin or Alexey Vatutin.
In other action, American Marcos Giron defeated the host and eighth seed, Albert Ramos Vinolas 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 and booked a second round match at the Gijon Open against Austrian Dominic Thiem.
Nicolas Alvarez Varona and Manuel Guinard also qualified for the second round of the Gijon Open. The hosts’ Alvarez Varona beat Marco Trungelliti 1-6, 6-3, 6-0, while Guinard held on after his opponent Fabio Fognini pulled out of the match.
Frenchman Guinard was leading 4-6, 6-0, 2-0 when the Italian was forced to withdraw and the 26-year-old will now face fourth seed Francisco Cerundolo.
