November 10, (THEWILL) – Andy Murray defeated world number 10 Jannik Sinner in straight sets to advance to the quarter-finals of the Stockholm Open. Murray fought through a 74-minute first set before breaking the top-seeded 20-year-old twice in the second to win 7-6(4) 6-3 in two hours and 15 minutes.
After defeating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Murray will face American Tommy Paul, while fellow Brit Dan Evans might face Murray in the semi-finals.
Murray will play in his final tournament of the 2021 season before taking a break to prepare for the Australian Open in January.
Early on, this match appeared to be a proper indoor hard court match. Strong serves, short points, and a paucity of break points dominated the early stages of this match, as neither player could find a way to break the other.
Only one such opportunity arose in the middle of the set, when the Italian got a break point at 3-3. Murray salvaged the match with a fantastic serve, and the match concluded in a tiebreak. The Brit was slightly sharper in this one, winning 7-4.
Murray was able to continue playing well in the second set, breaking Sinner early. He backed it up by winning his serve and taking a 3-1 lead. Throughout the game, Sinner was all over the place, making error after error. Sinner had made four unforced errors in a row when he lost his serve. After another error-filled game by Sinner, Murray won 6-3 to win the match.
The Italian now turns his attention to Turin, where he may be able to make an appearance if someone is hurt. Meanwhile, Murray’s quest for the trophy goes on in Stockholm.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
