ANDY MURRAY’S MARATHON second-set tie-break with Philipp Kohlschreiber was a first for the world number one in what he described as “special match”.
The opening set of the Dubai Tennis Championships quarter-final went the way of Kohlschreiber and the German had more than one opportunity to seal a surprise win.
In the second set, Kohlschreiber saved one set point ahead of the breaker, and wasted another six as Murray levelled.
It took over 30 minutes to find a winner in the tie-break as momentum swung both ways, Murray producing some sublime drop shots, while Kohlschreiber repeatedly found the line with his groundstrokes.
Eventually it went Murray’s way 20-18, the sixth time a breaker has gone to 38 points since 1991.
“I have never played a tie-break that long ever. I’ll probably never play another one like that again,” said Murray.
“I mean, I have been playing on the tour for 11, 12 years now, and nothing’s been close to that.
“There was definitely some unbelievable points in that second-set tie-break. We both missed a couple of shots, but in general, I think the level was extremely high.
“It’s a special match to win because of how it went.”
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