US Open: Andy Murray Beats Yoshihito Nishioka In Five-Setter Opener

Andy Murray survived a hard-fought match against Japanese ace Yoshihito Nishioka and made it through a five-setter to progress to the second round of the US Open. 

The former world no. 1 was on the brink of defeat having lost the first two sets and whilst Nishioka was off on the cruise, the Briton broke back forced a tiebreak claiming three remaining sets in a stunning comeback to win by 4-6, 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(4), 6-4. 

Nishioka began to face a strong resilience from Murray in the third set when he first forced a tie-break by claiming a breakpoint at 6-5. In the tiebreak, Murray snatched off the lead at 3-4 from the Japanese claiming three straight set points en route winning. 

"My big toes on both sides are beat up," Murray lamented. "At the start I was apprehensive about playing a long match and I was pacing myself, like you do in juniors. But once I was two sets down I had to put the afterburners on."

Though the Japanese took the lead in the four set and kept Murray in the trail, the game eventually entered another tiebreak after failing to seize two match-point needed to claim the round. He lost the fourth set and decider was also Murray's who claimed a breakpoint to outclass Nishioka. 

"I was a bit tentative," Murray added. "Then I went the other way of taking chances and making errors. But towards the end I started to get the balance right."

Murray ended his title-drought of two seasons following a hip resurfacing surgery that plumeted his ranking at the European Open in 2019 by outlasting Stan Wawrinka in the final. At the just concluded Western & Souther Open, Murray ousted German ace Alexander Zverev in three sets in R32.