Wednesday 14 August 2019 07:04, UK
Andy Murray and Feliciano Lopez came from a set down to clinch victory after a match-tie break against Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau at the Cincinnati Masters.
The 3-6 6-3 10-3 victory was secured by confident and clinical work in the final match tie-break as the pair overpowered their opponents from the back of the court, and at the net.
In the final tie-break, the first window of opportunity arrived as they created a 3-2 mini-break after an over-zealous lob.
From there, the duo turned the screw and never looked back, handing their opponents just one further point before the match's conclusion.
The American wildcard pairing of Ryan Harrison and Jack Sock will now await them in the second round.
Positively for Murray, after taking to a singles court for the first time since his hip resurfacing operation the day prior, he didn't show any signs of fatigue and looked fresh throughout.
Murray has announced that he won't be playing singles at the forthcoming US Open but will feature in both the men's and mixed doubles. He has yet to confirm his partner for either of the draws.
Elsewhere in the doubles in Cincinnati, Mike and Bob Bryan prevailed 7-6 (7-4) 3-6 10-7 against Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin, the pairing that had beaten Murray and Lopez at the Rogers Cup last week.
Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas are due on court for their first-round doubles match later on Tuesday evening with Karen Khachanov and Radu Albot also combining together.
In the singles, Britain's Kyle Edmund will commence his campaign against the in-form Russian, Daniil Medvedev.
Medvedev, the world No 8, has won eight of his last 10 matches and enjoyed runs to the finals at his last two tournaments as a result.
