By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday March 22, 2023
Two-time champion Andy Murray fell in straight sets to Dusan Lajovic on Wednesday in Miami.
Photo Source: Matthew Calvis
Andy Murray has been blazing a proper trail on tour in 2023, winning all seven deciding sets he has played and entering this week’s Miami Open, where he is a two-time champion, with an 8-4 overall record.
But the 35-year-old three-time Grand Slam champion could not put his best foot forward on Wednesday as he fell to Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic – a player that had lost 12 of 16 matches on hard court since the start of 2022 – 6-4, 7-5 in one hour and 35 minutes.
2009 and 2013 champion Murray drops to 29-11 lifetime at the Miami Open after a performance that saw him hit 14 winners against 15 unforced errors, compared to 21 winners and 13 unforced for Lajovic.
Murray had his chances in the second set, after he broke back for 5-5 with Lajovic serving for the match. But he couldn’t convert a hold in the next game, despite having a 40-15 lead as Lajovic swept the final two games to set a second-round clash with Maxime Cressy.
“What was going through my mind was… it’s happening again,” Lajovic said after the victory, referring to Murray’s remarkable string of comebacks in 2023. “And he was 40-15 in [the game that I broke back for 6-5] so I was able to hustle and get back to deuce. And then I think he felt the pressure.”
Murray was disappointed with his play.
“I struggled,” he said. “I served pretty well, but the rest of the game was a bit of a problem today. Didn't really return that well. Made a number of errors that obviously I wouldn't expect to be making.
“I'd been practicing pretty well. It's a very different court here, very bouncy, much faster than last week. Very different to the practice courts and everything – just struggled a bit. I don't know, timing was off a bit.”