Andy Murray produces inspired performance to advance at Queen's

LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 18: Andy Murray of Great Britain celebrates after his victory against Alexei Popyrin of Australia following the men's singles round of 32 match during day two of the Cinch Championships at The Queen's Club on June 18, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images for LTA) — LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 18: Andy Murray of Great Britain celebrates after his victory against Alexei Popyrin of Australia following the men’s singles round of 32 match during day two of the Cinch Championships at the Queen’s Club on June 18, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images for LTA)

By Abi Curran

Queen’s King Andy Murray has catapulted into the second round of the LTA Cinch Championships with an inspired opening performance in west London.

The 37-year-old, who has a record five Queen’s tournament titles to his name, beat Alexei Popyrin in a three-set thriller, 6-3 3-6 6-3.

It was Murray’s 1,000th career appearance on the tour, while Popyrin was seeking his first victory in his third appearance in the event’s main draw.

The two-time Wimbledon champion recorded his 739th career victory in front of a raucous Queen’s crowd who witnessed the tennis legend in his 16th main draw of the tournament.

Murray said: “Obviously during the match it’s difficult (to appreciate the occasion) but it’s a great reward at the end for the hard work and effort I put in. I’m happy got me out of it in the end.

“Any win you can get is important, that’s why we play. With Wimbledon a few weeks away, I want to gain confidence and have matches under my belt. It’s great to get another win here.

“I lost my momentum a little at the end of the first set and at the start of the second then I played pretty well in the important moments.

“Sometimes I served well and a few times I hit a lot better from deep, so I did well to pass.”

It is a final swan song for Murray who is expected to retire after Wimbledon or the Olympics following a singles wildcard selection by the ITF for the Paris Games.

The 2012 Olympic champion looked comfortable on grass, and after two equal first sets against Popyrin, he showed his characteristic courage in the deciding match.

Murray held on during a back-and-forth and pulled away with a determined winner to seal the victory by holding serve for 6-3.

He let out an invigorated roar after punching his ticket to the second round and savoring every moment on the grass field.

He said: “There’s an amazing crowd here, for a Tuesday afternoon it’s a great crowd, it’s gotten bigger in recent years when I started playing here, but it was pretty amazing , the participation they obtain each year.

“It was a great crowd, I always enjoyed that, creating a bit more atmosphere on the pitch and I tried to do that and the crowd supported me really well.”

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