Andy Murray tried and tried and eventually got it done spectacularly to beat Denis Shapovalov at the 2024 Dubai Championships.
This was a rather interesting matchup for Murray, who bested Shapovalov the last time they played. He just won his first match this year and played a good match against Jakub Mensik, so he arrived to the ATP 500 tournament in Dubai in good spirits.
He might have fancied his chances in this match as well because he played really well in Dubai in the past, winning the tournament. Of course, this Murray is far from the Murray that won the tournament, and he faced an opponent who loves playing in Dubai as well.
Shapovalov has been trending upward in recent weeks, looking better and better with every match. This match was a pretty sturdy one from Shapovalov, as he also never seemed to give up.
Even when he dropped his serve in the second set, Shapovalov could break back immediately. It was the sort of match where he could simply increase his level at any time and finish it off, but still, he couldn't.
Murray held his own pretty well in the opening set, but he couldn't really create any kind of pressure on the Canadian. Eventually, he would drop his serve, which would mean that Shapovalov won the opening set 6-4.
The second set opened with a more aggressive Murray, and he took a 3-1 lead but gave the break back immediately. That cut his momentum short, and Shapovalov became the player who was dictating play.
Murray barely held on at 4-4 but then was able to force a tie-break, which he ultimately won. That was a twist nobody saw coming, but the Brit once again didn't give up, and this time, he prevailed.
The final set was interesting as Murray rode the momentum to break early in the third. Shapovalov didn't serve well, which contributed to that, but he still played fairly well in rallies.
It wasn't enough, though, as Murray would hold on to win the match 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 and reach the second round of the 2024 Dubai Championships, recording his 500th career win on hard courts.
He joined only four other men who have accomplished this rare feat in the Open Era, Roger Federer (783), Novak Djokovic (700), Andre Agassi (592), and Rafael Nadal (518).
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