Andy Murray will resume his first-round match against Radek Stepanek at the French Open on Tuesday looking to complete another epic grand slam comeback.
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The first-set win proved a confidence-booster for Sania and Hingis, courtesy a couple of aces and powerful forehand shots, and they took an important 4-2 lead in the second.
Unranked Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic was already up a set on No. 2 Andy Murray in their opening round matchup, when a crisis occurred – Stepanek’s contact lens got dry.
Second seed Murray levelled the match at two sets all with former top ten player Stepanek coming out all guns blazing in the decider.
The young Frenchman put together a stunning hold to tie things up at 1-1 in the fifth set, and, when Murray served for the match with a 5-1 lead, Bourge broke him.
The 29-year-old paid tribute to Stepanek, saying: “It’s unbelievable what he’s doing”. “He had a bad injury a year ago yet at 37 is still coming out and fighting like he is”, said Murray.
“Losing against Murray is what I was expecting, so I wasn’t really that tense”, Bourgue told reporters.
“He started playing unbelievably and I was finding it hard to win points, let alone the games”.
But Murray grimly preserved his serve and then broke Stepanek decisively before the veteran limply netted a volley in a tame ending to an enthralling match.
“Me and Amelie have a very good relationship, and I don’t think it’s fair to try to say otherwise”, he said.
With Aljaz Bedene, Kyle Edmund and Murray through, there are three British male players in the second round at Roland Garros for first time since 1975.
There was plenty of respect from Murray after the match, as he warmly consoled the 128th-ranked Czech and applauded him off court.
“If you look at the first two matches, for sure I’m not playing my best tennis, but I know I have my best tennis in me”, the 31-year-old Wawrinka, playing in his 45th consecutive grand slam tournament, told reporters. “I was a bit lucky also”.
While Murray needed two days to progress, nine-time champion Nadal had a much easier time, easing past Sam Groth 6-1, 6-1, 6-1. He won all six games of the third set and was suddenly very, very eager to play the fourth.
But it was bad news for Britain’s women with Johanna Konta losing to Germany’s Julia Goerges 6-2 6-3 and Laura Robson falling 6-2 6-2 to another German, 28th seed Andrea Petkovic.
Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., the No. 8 seed in the men’s draw, opened with a straight-sets win over Janko Tipsarevic on Monday.
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Sania and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis defeated Russia’s Daria Kasatkina and Alexandra Panova 7-6 (4), 6-2 in one hour and 31 minutes.
