Britain's Andy Murray worked through a marathon opening set before dominating the second for a 7-6 (7/3), 6-0 victory over Lorenzo Sonego on Tuesday at the ATP Toronto Masters.
The 36-year-old Scotsman, with three Canadian titles in his resume, earned his first victory in the country since his 2015 trophy as he defeated the Italian in two hours, eight minutes in a challenging wind.
Murray won the pair's only previous encounter last February in Doha, saving three match points.
Murray, ranked 40th to his opponent's 39th, also lifted the trophy here in 2009 and 2010.
The opening set lasted 90 minutes, with Murray saving set points in the 10th game. He profitted from Sonego's 44 unforced errors to sweep into the second round.
"I'm really pleased to have won. Those were blustery conditions," Murray said. "The wind was changing conditions during the points.
"We knew it would be like this after hitting here this morning. The breeze added a bit of stress."
Murray said getting through the first set was a challenge.
"It was tight, there were a lot of opportunities on both sides," he said.
"I managed to sneak through the tiebreaker, he probably got disappointed and I relaxed a bit in the second set.
"I hope to build confidence and win a few matches," said the three-time Grand Slam champion, who exited last week in the Washington third round to Taylor Fritz.
"I had success here but it was a long time ago. Hopefully I can build some momentum."
© 2023 AFP
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njca4
Great guy. Always gives 100% in every match, but his legs aren't up to it anymore.
I'll be surprised if he makes it to a semifinal again.