Andy Murray wins on clay for first time in five years

AFP

In the first round of the men's tournament, wildcard Andy Murray came out on top over Dominic Thiem, who has struggled since his comeback from a wrist injury which prevented him from defending his U.S. Open crown last year.

Thiem, who spent eight months on the sidelines, was playing only his fourth match this year and the Austrian -- winless in 2022 -- was far from his best. Thiem made 33 unforced errors, the majority of which came from his forehand.

Murray was the sharper of the two players and after winning 6-3 6-4 the Scot -- who recovered from a hip surgery that nearly ended his career -- gave Thiem words of encouragement.

"I hope you feel better soon," Murray told Thiem at the net. "I'm glad to see you back. Keep going, it takes a lot of time but you'll be fine."

Earlier, Italian 10th seed Jannik Sinner made a great escape when he fought back from a set down and then saved three match points to dispatch American Tommy Paul 6-7(4) 7-6(4) 6-3 in a three-hour battle to move into the second round.


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