Paris (AFP)
Andy Murray won his first major singles victory in Beijing in his ATP 500 tournament on Tuesday, eliminating Italian Matteo Berrettini, 13th in the world and semifinalist of the last US Open.
The 32-year-old Scotsman, 503rd in the world but with a protected classification to go straight into the big table in Beijing, posted a very good level of play and great physical fitness to win 7-6 (7/2 ), 7-6 (9/7) after 2 hours of play.
Strong from the back of the court facing the Italian colossus, Murray was also mentally strong, as he showed in the first set where he broke up to return to 5-5 before winning the tie break.
In the round of 16, the triple Grand Slam winner (US Open 2012, Wimbledon 2013 and 2016) will be opposed to his British compatriot Cameron Norrie (69th and qualifying).
The former world No.1 won last week in Zhuhai his first single on the ATP circuit since the installation of a hip prosthesis in January, at the expense of the American Tennys Sandgren. But he suffered physically in the second round and lost to Alex De Minaur.
The Scotsman had mentioned in Melbourne in January a likely retirement after Wimbledon 2019 - where he played in doubles and mixed doubles - because of his recalcitrant hip. But the successful installation of a metal prosthesis allowed him to see a return to the competition in singles.
Murray returned to the circuit in June, first in doubles, including a win at the Queen's grass tournament, paired with Spain's Feliciano Lopez. In singles, he made his comeback in August at the Cincinnati Masters 1000, with a loss as soon as he entered.
© 2019 AFP