Andy Murray records a solid straight-sets win over Yannick Hanfmann to reach the second round in Basel, while Cameron Norrie given tough test in Erste Bank Open first round in Vienna; Head to the Sky Sports website and app, for live scores, reports, analysis and features
Monday 23 October 2023 21:53, UK
Andy Murray made a winning start to his campaign at the Swiss Indoors, Basel by seeing off Yannick Hanfmann 7-5 6-4 on Monday to reach the second round.
The former world No 1, a quarter-finalist in Basel 18 years ago, came into the match on the back of two first-round exits in Beijing and Shanghai to Alex de Minaur and Roman Safiullin respectively, but he battled hard in Basel before defeating Germany's Hanfmann.
Murray clawed through some marathon opening exchanges to wrest the advantage but was almost pushed into a decider by Hanfmann, who threatened the Scot's serve throughout.
The German briefly delayed Murray by converting his eighth break point of the match when he served for the match at 5-3, but Murray immediately responded in kind to seal his place in the next stage after two hours and 19 minutes.
Murray, 36, said in his on-court interview: "I'm happy to come through. He's had a brilliant year and he's been playing very well, so it's a good result.
"It was tough. The first four or five games were something like 45 minutes. I don't remember having that really before, it was ridiculous."
Murray will take on Tomas Martin Etcheverry after the Argentine upset eighth seed Sebastian Korda 6-3 1-6 6-3.
Big-serving German Jan-Lennard Struff snapped a four-match losing streak to edge out American Christopher Eubanks 7-6 (9-7) 6-4, while Sebastian Baez fought his way past Christopher O'Connell 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 6-3.
The 22-year-old will next meet top seed Holger Rune or Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic.
British No 1 Cameron Norrie was given a tough time by Austria's world No 169 Filip Misolic before edging into round two in the Erste Bank Open in Vienna.
Norrie, who came into the match having won just one of his last eight matches, had to scrap through a tight first-set tie-break and was hauled back in the second set by the plucky home favourite before battling through 7-6 (9-7) 4-6 6-3.
Like Murray, Norrie was recovering from a fruitless swing to Asia having fallen at the first stage in Beijing and Shanghai, as well as last week's Japan Open in Tokyo.
Karen Khachanov eased past Roman Safiullin 6-4 6-4 in a first career meeting between the two Russians in the first round.
Khachanov, who claimed his fifth title - and first in five years - at the Zhuhai Championships at the end of September, has made a triumphant return to form after a stress fracture suffered at the French Open kept him out of the game for two months.
