Andy Murray’s game is held up after JUMBO tennis balls are thrown onto the court by eco-clowns…before Scot loses three hours of epic to top seed Taylor Fritz in Washington
- Andy Murray had break points on Friday for a 4-2 lead in the deciding set
- But Taylor Fritz managed to fend off all three and eventually won
- Friday’s meeting was briefly interrupted by a group of rowdy protesters
Andy Murray’s three-hour marathon against world No. 9 Taylor Fritz at the last 16 of the Citi Open was marred Friday night by antics from eco-protesters.
Held in Washington, the tournament became the latest sporting event to be ruined by environmentalists – who have made constant efforts to disrupt this summer’s spectacles.
Activists had already launched protests this summer at the World Snooker Championships, Wimbledon, the Ashes and, most recently, The Open Championship.
And they continued their trend of interrupting sporting events by launching giant tennis balls onto the court before being escorted from the stands in Washington.
Despite the distractions, Murray looked on the verge of another of his occasional wins since his comeback from hip surgery, as he had break points for a 4–2 lead in the deciding set.
Andy Murray’s match with Taylor Fritz was held up after jumbo tennis balls were thrown on court by climate protesters during Friday’s Citi Open
The climate activists displayed a banner reading ‘business as usual is a climate disaster’
Andy Murray fell just short in a three-hour marathon against world No. 9 Taylor Fritz
But Fritz, the top seed and American No. 1, managed to fend off all three and went on to earn his 40th win in 2023, 6-7, 6-3 6-4.
Murray had already slammed his racket after dropping serve in the first game and throwing two double faults out of six unforced errors.
The Scotsman was one point from trailing 3-0 but improved as the set progressed and broke back for 5-5 when Fritz served for it, saving two set points before converting his first break point with a drop shot.
Murray dominated the tie-break with Fritz now showing his frustration, and he took the set on 87 minutes with a near-dismissal forehand winner.
But Fritz came right back in to break at the start of the second en route to an equalizer.
Fritz survived those break points at 2-3 in the decider and then a Murray double foul gave the 25-year-old three chances to break, taking the second as Murray’s backhand drifted long.
Friday’s meeting in Washington was briefly interrupted by a group of violent protesters
In a dramatic final game, Murray brought up three break-back points at 40-0, Fritz survived the fate and then forfeited two match points before converting the third.
Dan Evans had lost eight of his last nine matches before arriving in Washington, but the British runner-up took two wins in two by beating Russia’s Alexander Shevchenko 6-4 6-3.
Evans will have to play his last eight games later in the day, after his and Murray’s games were canceled due to rain on Thursday.