Andy Murray beats rising Czech star Jiri Lehecka 6-0 3-6 7-6 to reach Qatar Open final
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He’s at it again! Andy Murray completes an incredible comeback by saving FIVE match points to beat Czech star Jiri Lehecka to reach the Qatar Open final in another epic marathon.
- Andy Murray saved five match points to reach the Qatar Open final
- The Brit endured another marathon encounter to overcome 6-0 3-6 7-6
- All six of Murray’s wins this calendar year have gone to deciding sets.
Andy Murray saved five match points in another marathon encounter to somehow reach the Qatar Open final.
The two-time Wimbledon champion went the distance again (all six wins this year were in deciders) in a stunning 6-0, 3-6, 7-6 (8-6) victory over the rising Czech star Jiri Lehecka.
Serving at 5-3 down in the decider, Murray had to save two match points before Lehecka moved to 40-0 on his own serve in the next game.
What happened next was barely believable, even by Murray standards, as he disallowed all three match points to level the set at 5-5, before beating a shaken Lehecka in the tiebreak.
“I don’t know, that was one of the most amazing changes I’ve had in my career,” the 35-year-old Scotsman said on Amazon Prime.
Andy Murray saved five match points to reach the Qatar Open final after coming through another epic marathon
All six of the Brit’s wins this year have come in matches that have gone the distance in sets.
“I knew it was my first time serving in a final, so I had to keep up the pressure because I know how difficult it can be to serve games like that, but I have no idea how I turned it around.”
Murray, a two-time winner in Doha, has now reached the final a record five times.
‘This tournament has had many great players; (Roger) Federer, (Andy) Roddick, (Rafael) Nadal and Novak (Djokovic)’, he added. “Obviously those guys have accomplished a lot more than I have, so this is maybe one small win I can have over them.”
Murray has played 12 sets this week, thanks to his two brutal five-setters at the Australian Open, and spent another two and a half hours on the court beating the 21-year-old Lehecka.
Czech rising star Jiri Lehecka watched in amazement as Murray saved match point after match point.
“I feel good at the moment, although obviously the adrenaline is rising after a match like that,” he said.
‘I’m sure there will be a bit of fatigue tomorrow, but I have a great team behind me. My physio has work tonight.
Murray will face Daniil Medvedev or Felix Auger-Aliassime in what will be his first final since Stuttgart last June.
If he wins, it will mean his first title since victory in Antwerp in October 2019, and his second since undergoing career-saving hip surgery.