March 12, (THEWILL) – Andy Murray defeated Taro Daniel to go to the second round at Indian Wells, securing his 700th Tour level victory.
Along with Roger Federer (with his record of 1251 victories), Rafael Nadal (with 1043) and Novak Djokovic (with 991). The Scot won 1-6 6-2 6-4, to become only the fourth active player to reach the milestone.
Murray, who is presently ranked 88 in the world, made the first significant play of the match in Game 3 when he created two break points. The three-time Grand Slam champion was unable to capitalise and was forced to rue a botched second serve return as Daniel escaped from deuce to hold.
It was even more critical in the following game, when the Japanese world number 106 took advantage of a badly executed drop shot to break to love.
Murray faced Daniel for the third time this season, having avenged his shock Australian Open loss to the Japanese with a decisive triumph in Doha. Daniel’s strong groundstrokes consistently broke through Murray’s defences, making this feel like their first meeting.
Another break to love only added to the Scot’s misery, and Daniel served out the opener in just 28 minutes thanks to a magnificent, wrong-footing drop shot.
Murray had been positive about his chances of making a deep run in the competition, despite the fact that he had never won the tournament before, and he refused to let frustration get the best of him.
Murray relaxed into the fight, and as Daniel’s level dropped in the second set, the match became a carbon copy of the first, with Murray dominating and enticing errors.
Murray raced to a 5-0 lead after a double break, but a startling slowdown as he looked to serve it out allowed Daniel to postpone the inevitable. Murray regrouped admirably in the face of Daniel’s boost, and he broke to love to force a third set just seconds later.
Despite the Czech’s absence on the court, the British wildcard recently established a third partnership with coach Ivan Lendl, and it was difficult not to wonder about the Czech’s impact on this performance.
Murray has publicly expressed his frustration with his lack of consistency, and it was on display here as he nearly undid all of his hard work of Set 2 by being broken in the first game of the decider. Daniel was in command until Game 6, when he botched a serve, allowing Murray to boost the ante and tie the match on the second of two break points.
Murray then saved a vital break point at 4-4 with a brave second serve and dug out the hold to put pressure on his opponent. Daniel faltered at the crucial moment, and Murray won on his third match point to advance to the second round, where he will face number 31 seed Alexander Bublik.
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.
