Friday 4 September 2015 11:59, UK
Andy Murray completed a lung-busting comeback from two sets behind against Adrian Mannarino in the US Open second round on Thursday.
The British No 1 toiled in the early stages and, shorn of the usual zip in his returns, found himself chasing shadows but he ultimately found the energy to claim a 5-7 4-6 6-1 6-3 6-1 win.
The unrelenting bounce in Murray's legs carried him through and Mannarino, like a fighter who had sustained too many body shots, couldn't handle the punishing pace as they battled for the five-set distance.
It was a difficult opening couple of sets for Murray and the tone was set as he handed back a ladies' ball when trying to serve, got whacked in the head by a Mannarino smash then narrowly avoided a second errant shot to the head when his back was turned.
He was broken in the first game of the match when his serve seemed to have remained in the changing rooms but after four it was level.
Mannarino's stylish left-handed craftsmanship was causing problems and his serve rarely seemed threatened - he broke again in the 11th game of the set, with Murray's returns frequently wayward.
The Brit was cursing himself between points as he struggled to get going in the hot conditions. Four games passed without drama until Murray was forced to step up a gear to save break point in the fifth.
The world No 35 responded, ominously, by quickly holding serve without dropping a point.
The trick was repeated by the Frenchman in the ninth game of the set, except this time it forced a break, and allowed him to serve out for a shock two-set lead.
With his back against the wall, Murray ripped through the third set, adding an exclamation point as he walloped the ball at Mannarino, in response to being hit himself earlier, rather than playing it past his opponent.
Murray broke for 2-0, clenching his fist intensely, and with his trademark returning ability coming back he lashed a backhand winner back past Mannarino for a second break and a 5-1 lead which quickly turned into claiming the third set.
Huffing and puffing, Murray won two sensational rallies against the serve - the second of which had Mannarino ducking for cover as Murray blasted the ball at close quarters - but couldn't take the game.
He slyly eyeballed his French foe as they swapped ends, assessing his physical state, before taking advantage of a double-fault to earn a fourth-set break and propel himself into a 3-1 lead. With his energy levels unblemished he broke again to take the set 6-3.
With Mannarino's serve speed dipping dramatically, Murray returned viciously and opened a quick break in the decider, then did so again for a 5-1 lead when the Frenchman offered virtually nothing with the ball in hand. The Scot cruised to the finishing line.
Murray now has a winning 30-22 record when dropping the first set in Grand Slam matches, including a 9-0 return against unseeded players. It was Murray's 11th win in as many matches against left-handers in 2015.
He will play Brazil's Thomaz Bellucci in the next round.
