Murray battles past Shapovalov, Rublev overcomes Zhang

Amir Naqvi, Sports Editor

Andy Murray battled back from a set down to beat Denis Shapovalov, while second seed Andrey Rublev overcame a shaky start to triumph over Zhang Zhizhen at the Dubai Tennis Championships on Monday.

Murray took two hours and 32 minutes to defeat Shapovalov 4-6, 7-6, 6-3. Rublev, the World No. 5, edged out Zhang 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 to reach the second round.

Making his eighth appearance at the tournament, the win marked a significant milestone for the Briton, as it became his 500th career victory on hard courts. He joins an elite group of players in the Open Era to achieve this feat, alongside legends like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andre Agassi, and Rafael Nadal.

“It’s not bad. Hard courts have been a great surface for me over the years. Obviously, the hard court has been a great surface for me over the years, and 500 is a lot of matches, so I’m very proud of that. There are not many players that have done that; it’s great to get to 500 before I’m done,” said the three-time Grand Slam winner.

The match started with Murray dominating his serve, but Shapovalov broke through in the ninth game, stealing the first set. The 2017 champion responded in the second, securing a crucial break and forcing a tie-break. Despite the Canadian’s fightback, Murray remained composed, winning the tiebreak 7-5 and taking the set.

The third set saw Shapovalov’s frustration mount as unforced errors plagued his game. Murray capitalised on this, breaking Shapovalov’s serve early and holding his own serve throughout the set. Murray sealed the match with a brilliant backhand return.

“Both of us haven’t had too many wins recently; he’s returning after missing a significant portion of last year. He has a history of performing well on these courts, and his serving was exceptional,” Murray said in his post-match press conference.

“I had to strike the right balance between responding to his powerful shots while also staying proactive and not just returning balls into play. It was a challenging match, but I found a way to come through in the end.”

Serving strongly, Zhang gained the upper hand after winning the tough first set. The Russian Rublev shifted gears in the second and saved every break point he faced, ultimately advancing into the second round of the tournament.

 “It was a really tough match. I started off strong, but my opponent’s serving was on another level,” said the 2022 champion after the match.

“His first serve percentage seemed almost flawless; some games he barely missed, and when he did, his serves were consistently around 220 mph and incredibly difficult to return.

 “I managed to get ahead in the tiebreak, leading 4-2, and had a relatively straightforward forehand opportunity. Unfortunately, I missed it, and from that point on, he played absolutely outstanding tennis.

 “He hit winners and aced his way through the remainder of the tiebreak. Opportunities were scarce for me after that.

 “I felt mentally strong throughout the match. Despite the setbacks, I was able to maintain my focus and composure. When an opportunity presented itself in the second set, I seized it immediately.

“The court feels quite fast today, much faster than I remember in previous years. This led to shorter rallies compared to past tournaments. It’s unclear if this is due to different balls being used or another factor,” added Rublev.

Earlier, seventh seed Alexander Bublik overcame a first-set deficit to defeat qualifier Tomas Machac 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(5).

Botic van de Zandschulp stunned sixth seed Adrian Mannarino 7-6 (3), 7-5. He will next face Sebastian Korda, who dispatched Pavel Kotov 6-0, 6-2.

Van de Zandschulp and Mannarino were consistently holding serve and exchanging breaks during the opening set. Later, they were locked at a 6-6 stalemate. However, Van de Zandschulp found a surge of momentum in the tiebreak, decisively winning it 7-3.

The second set remained a nail-biting affair. With eleven consecutive holds of serve, a tiebreak seemed inevitable, but Van de Zandschulp seized a crucial break at the last moment, clinching the set 7-5 and the match in a gruelling, nearly two-hour contest.