Andy Murray ends six-year US Open wait with comeback win over Nava

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Andy Murray advanced to the third round of the US Open for the first time in six years as he was forced to come from a set down to beat Emilio Nava. The American wildcard took a marathon 84-minute opening set but won just four more games as the 2012 champion reeled off the last 11 in a row for a 5-7 6-3 6-1 6-0 win. It is also Murray’s first Grand Slam third round since last year’s Wimbledon

Murray was bidding to reach the third round of the US Open for the first time since 2016 as he took to Arthur Ashe Stadium for his first meeting with Nava. The American wildcard had already achieved his best Grand Slam result by reaching round two and is making his second appearance at Major level after receiving a wildcard here 12 months ago.

The 2012 champion showed he was the more experienced as he set up three break points in the opening game but was unable to convert them, blowing two more at 2-2. After all his efforts, it was the world No 203 who earned the first break of the match to go 5-3 up and serve for the set but Murray denied him a chance to take the lead, breaking straight back.

But the world No 51 was under pressure once more as he was taken to deuce three times while serving to stay in the set at 5-6 before facing a set point. Murray hit what appeared to be the perfect volley at the net but Nava managed to fire the ball straight past him, taking the marathon 84-minute opening set with a winner.

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Murray continued to pressure the American’s serve despite dropping the first set, failing to take two break points at 1-1 in the second before he finally broke for a 3-2 lead. Momentum suddenly shifted as the former world No 1 began racing through his service games, breaking once more at the end of the second set to take it 6-3.

Having managed to level at one set apiece, it was all one-way traffic for Murray who needed less than half an hour to take the third set 6-1, dropping just five points from 1-1. After winning the last five games of the third set, the world No 51 showed no signs of stopping as he took a 4-0 double-break lead in the fourth set, racing towards his first Grand Slam third round in over a year.

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Nava finally had a game point to end Murray’s run but hit a badly-timed double fault and ended up getting broken once more, as Murray sat down with a 5-0 lead in the fourth set. And he served out a four-set victory to love as the clock hit the three-hour mark.

After advancing to his first US Open third round since 2016 – when he went all the way to the quarter-final – Murray now awaits the winner of a match between 13th seed Matteo Berrettini and world No 119 Hugo Grenier.

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