Andy Murray continues resurgence with impressive win over young star Jannik Sinner at Stockholm Open

Tennis365
Andy Murray celebrates

The Andy Murray revival continued at the Stockholm Open on Wednesday as he took out top seed Jannik Sinner in the second round for arguably his best win of 2021.

The former world No 1 has struggled to produce back-to-back big performances in recent months, but he had no such problems in Sweden as he followed up his comfortable win over qualifier Viktor Durasovic on Tuesday with an even better display against the Italian a day later.

Having won four tournaments this year, the 20-year Sinner was the clear favourite against a player 14 years older than him.

Yet it was the 34-year-old who came out on top with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 victory over the world No 10.

The only break point opportunity in the opening set came in game seven on the Murray serve, but the three-time Grand Slam winner snatched the chance out of Sinner’s hand and it went to a tie-breaker.

Murray initially found himself with a 3-1 lead, but Sinner got back on serve before the Scot got two mini breaks to take the opening set.

After the Italian saved a break point in game one of the second set, Murray broke two games later to open a 3-1 lead and then wrapped up the two-hour, 14-minute clash up with a second break in game nine.

Up next is the unseeded Tommy Paul in what will be Murray’s second ATP quarter-final in the last two years. American Paul beat his compatriot and fifth seed Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4.

Victory over Paul could see Murray, who has also beaten world No 9 Hubert Hurkacz and Frances Tiafoe in recent weeks, take on British No 2 Dan Evans for a place in the final as the fourth seed will face Tiafoe in the last eight.

Evans beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 while eighth seed Tiafoe defeated Pedro Martinez 6-4, 6-4.

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