Britain’s Andy Murray fought back from a set down to begin his 2021 season with a win against Maximilian Marterer in the ATP Challenger in Biella, Italy.
The Scot, ruled out of the Australian Open after a positive Covid test, beat Germany’s Marterer 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 6-3.
It is Murray’s second appearance in the ATP’s second-highest tier in three years, after Mallorca in August 2019.
Murray, 33, faces Gian Marco Moroni in the second round after the Italian beat Russia’s Evgeny Karlovskiy 7-6 6-4.
Murray was unable to find a “workable quarantine” as he was ruled out of the year’s first Grand Slam in Australia, though he was permitted to play in Biella after a quarantine waiver was agreed for players travelling from outside the European Union.
The three-time Grand Slam champion and former world number one played only seven official matches last year because of a pelvic injury and the five-month suspension of the tours caused by the pandemic.
In his first match since October, Murray responded to being edged out in the tie-break at the end of a tight opening set by twice breaking Marterer’s serve to claim the second in 33 minutes and closing out the final set by winning the final three games.
Article courtesy of BBC Sport
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