Andy Murray began his final event of the season by outlasting an inspired qualifier to advance on Tuesday at the Stockholm Open.
The former world No. 1 Brit is making a late-career debut in the Swedish capital at age 34
He cruised through the opening set but had to fight through a tiebreaker in the second to beat qualifier Viktor Durasovic 6-1, 7-6(7).
“I got off to a very good start, and then in the second set he started to play better,” the double Wimbledon-winning Scot said.
“He was a lot more comfortable as the match went on – at the end it was just a big fight, and I managed to get the tie-break.
“He played better than a No. 300 in the world.”
Murray will aim for the quarter-final against Italian powerhouse Jannik Sinner, the top seed.
“He’s had a fantastic season,” Murray said. “He was very unlucky to not make the Final Eight [at the ATP Finals in Turin.
“He loves playing indoors on hard courts, so it will be a big test for me.”
