Returning Andy Murray given a tough workout in his Shenzhen opener

Andy Murray kicked off his Asian swing with battling win at the Shenzhen Open with his opponent Zhizhen Zhang retiring midway through the deciding set.
The 31-year-old’s last competitive match before Tuesday was his second-round US Open defeat to Fernando Verdasco at the end of August and there were signs of sluggishness during his 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 4-2 win over the Chinese wildcard.
Murray raced into a 5-1 lead in the opening set on the back of two breaks, but Zhang claimed one break back before the Scot served it out.
After the pair traded a couple of breaks in the second set, it was the Chinese player who produced the more solid tennis in the tie-breaker as he levelled it up.
Zhang started to battle to hold onto his serve in set three and Murray eventually claimed the break in game six with his opponent retiring at the end of the game.
The three-time Grand Slam winner, who accepted a wildcard to pay in the tournament, can expect a tougher encounter in the second round as he will face top seed David Goffin, who had a bye in the opening round.
@andy_murray looks forward to his match against the defending champion @David__Goffin on Thursday.🎾 #shenzhenopen @ATPShenzhenOpen @ATPWorldTour pic.twitter.com/JzIQg6gl1i
— ATP Shenzhen Open (@ATPShenzhenOpen) September 25, 2018
Sixth seed Denis Shapovalov also advanced as beat Ilya Ivashka 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 while Ramkumar Ramanathan from India beat Czech Jiri Vesely 7-5, 6-1.
Mackenzie McDonald also reached the second round after Lukas Lacko retired while being down 5-7, 6-1, 5-0, and up next for the American is either seventh-seeded Australian Alex De Minaur, who beat Yuichi Sugita from Japan 6-3, 6-0.
More from Tennis365:
Exhibition or not, the Laver Cup has the right mix between being fun and serious
No concerns over Andy Murray’s latest break from the ATP Tour
Top 10: Tennis’ greatest ever doubles super-teams, featuring Roger Federer – a lot
ATP betting preview: Andy Murray one to avoid as tour hits China, but Hyeon Chung looks good
Latest
-
French Open
Former French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova out of Roland Garros after undergoing ‘small surgery’
Marketa Vondrousova withdraws from French Open.
-
Wimbledon
Explainer – Why Wimbledon’s Russian and Belarusian ban has caused a crisis at the heart of tennis
The decision from Wimbledon and the LTA to ban Russian and Belarusian players has divided opinion.
-
Tennis News
Stefanos Tsitsipas praises ‘great champion’ Novak Djokovic: ‘He’s like a Formula 1 car’
Stefanos Tsitsipas lavish in his praise of Novak Djokovic.
-
Tennis News
Carlos Alcaraz on his big goal: ‘I am clear about my dream, which is to be No 1 in the world’
Carlos Alcaraz dreams of becoming world No 1 and he’s not shy of saying it in public.
-
Tennis News
Emma Raducanu on rotating coaches: ‘People might look at me like I’m crazy but I trust my decision-making’
Emma Raducanu trusting her own process.
-
WTA Tour
WTA calendar update: Guadalajara to host WTA 1000 event as China remains absent from schedule
Changes to the 2022 WTA calendar.
-
French Open
Iga Swiatek hailed as ‘the boss’ as French Open chief Amelie Mauresmo praises ‘new era’ in women’s tennis
Iga Swiatek steering women’s tennis into a new era.
-
French Open
French Open news: Home hopes dented with Gael Monfils withdrawal
French No 1 Gael Monfils has withdrawn from the Lyon Open and Roland Garros.
-
News
ATP finally make a decision on Queen’s and Eastbourne – but Wimbledon are still waiting
Russian and Belarusian players were last month banned from competing at Wimbledon.
-
ATP Tour
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s Lyon farewell ends in heartbreaking first round loss
It ends early for Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Lyon.