Miami Open 2023: Andy Murray crashes out in first round to Dusan Lajovic

The 2019 Monte-Carlo semifinalist defeated Murray in their first career meeting to earn his first victory on a hard court this year.

Andy Murray in a file photo. (Twitter: @the_LTA)
By Nilavro Ghosh | Mar 23, 2023 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

On Day 1 of the men’s main-draw competition at the Miami Open on Wednesday, Dusan Lajovic defeated two-time defending champion Andy Murray 6-4, 7-5, disregarding his recent modest hard-court record in the process. The 32-year-old Serbian had only won four of 16 matches played on hard courts since the beginning of 2022. He had once peaked at No. 23 in the ATP Rankings. However, the 2019 Monte-Carlo semifinalist defeated Murray in their first career meeting to earn his first victory on a hard court this year.

Lajovic’s victory was supported by his solid second serve performance against one of the best returners in the competition. He converted all three of his chances on Murray’s serve while winning 72% of the points he won with his second serve and saving two of the break points he faced. After missing two match points from 40/0 in the final game, he was unable to serve out the match at 5-4, but Murray’s forehand framed at the end of a long rally allowed him to win it.

“When I didn’t close it out I thought it’s happening again,” Lajovic said. “Honestly that last game I was super right at 40/0 and he was able to put pressure on me. Luckily he shanked the last forehand, which he normally doesn’t do.” Murray ends the ATP Masters 1000 ‘Sunshine Doubles’ with a 2-2 record in Indian Wells and Miami, having reached the third round at the BNP Paribas Open. With a run to the Doha final as the season’s high point, the 35-year-old Scotsman falls to 8-5 overall (l. Medvedev).

Emma Raducanu crashes out of Miami

In the Miami Open on Wednesday, Bianca Andreescu defeated Emma Raducanu 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 in 2 hours and 33 minutes. The 2021 finalist Andreescu won their first-round match in Rome last year after Raducanu withdrew due to a lower back injury while trailing 6-2, 2-1. This time, the rivals engaged in three exciting sets of combat.

“You never know what to expect,” Andreescu said on court. “I just came in here wanting to play my best with what I had today, and I think I did that. Emma played amazing. She’s an incredible player and I have a lot of respect for her. I didn’t let my negative emotions get the best of me. I stayed positive, I was very energetic and I never gave up.”

The seventh seed Maria Sakkari will be the next opponent for the 22-year-old Canadian in the second round. She and Sakkari had previously had two close meetings that she had to decide between. In the 2021 Miami semifinals, Andreescu prevailed 7-6(7), 3-6, 7-6(4), but Sakkari triumphed 6-7(2), 7-6(6), 6-3 a few months later in the fourth round of the US Open.

In comparison to Raducanu’s 20, Andreescu scored 32 victories, including seven aces. Compared to the 20-year-40 old’s unforced errors, she made 34 of them. Under pressure, both players played at their best, as evidenced by the 11 break points saved by Andreescu out of a possible 12 and the eight by Raducanu out of a possible 11.

(Information taken from ATP and WTA official websites)





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