Murray Downs Tursunov; Faces Mirnyi
Posted on June 21, 2006
Scot wild card Andy Murray posted his first grass court win of the season as the 19-year-old defeated No.5 seed Dmitry Tursunov 6-4, 6-3 in one hour, 16 minutes to move into the second round of the Red Letter Days Open in Nottingham.Murray slipped on the damp grass injuring his right ankle, while leading Dmitry Tursunov 5-4 in the first set. After an injury time-out, Tursunov resumed at 30-30 but was unable to level the scoreline. Murray won the first set 6-4 in 47 minutes on his fourth set point. In the second set Murray scored one break of serve while never facing a break point to win the set 6-3.
Murray, a winner at San Jose (d. Hewitt), will next face Max Mirnyi, a 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 winner over wild card Alex Bogdanovic. The Belarus, this week's ATP blogger, blasted 17 aces and won 76 percent of his first serve points in the one-hour, 58-minute match.
Mirnyi's doubles partner Jonas Bjorkman also advanced to the second round by dismissing Agustin Calleri 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 in one hour, 17 minutes. The 34-year-old Swede, who posted his 378th career win, fired four aces and broke Calleri in six of eight opportunities.
Spaniard Feliciano Lopez snapped a six-match losing streak with a 6-3, 6-1 upset-win over No.3 seed Olivier Rochus. Lopez, who is only 8-16 in the season, dominated action during the entire match, going 4-for-4 in break point conversions and winning 83 percent of the points in first serve.
Defending champion Richard Gasquet opened play in Nottingham with a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 hard-fought win over Spaniard Ivan Navarro Pastor. The Frenchman will next face Daniele Bracciali, who defeated No.8 seed Nicolas Almagro 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(7).
-- ATP