TennisNH

Verdasco Ousts Murray In Cologne

13-Oct-2020 21:22:00 | ATP World Tour

Fernando Verdasco lost 13 of his first 14 clashes against Andy Murray. But on Tuesday evening in Cologne, the Spaniard earned his third consecutive victory against the former World No. 1.

The seven-time ATP Tour titlist overpowered Murray 6-4, 6-4 to reach the second round of the bett1HULKS Indoors. The 36-year-old will meet top seed and recent US Open finalist Alexander Zverev in the second round.

"This is a very important victory for me for many reasons," Verdasco said on court after his win. "Playing against a player like Andy, we have been playing together for all our careers. We've had really tough battles over the years. It's always a challenge and a motivation to play against someone like him. I'm very happy for that."

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This is Verdasco's first win since the Australian Open, where he reached the third round (l. to A. Zverev). The World No. 62 used his big forehand to control play on the slow Cologne hard court, pushing Murray back and forcing him to defend.

Murray battled hard, earning two break points as Verdasco served for the first set and four break points as the lefty served for the match. The former World No. 7 was too solid on the evening, and he will now have a chance to earn his third ATP Head2Head victory against Zverev (Zverev leads their series 3-2).

"I will try my best. I will enjoy it and hopefully I will be able to play good and make a good performance," Verdasco said. "It's going to be a good match."