Andy Murray handed the latest exam of his fitness with a victory in excess of James Ward that sent him into the semi-finals at the Battle of the Brits.
The Scot, 33, received 6-3 7-5 at the charity event at the Countrywide Tennis Centre in Roehampton, his initially celebration given that November immediately after a pelvic harm.
The three-time Grand Slam winner is joined in the very last four by British selection one Dan Evans, who outclassed Cameron Norrie 6-3 6-3.
The semi-finals are on Saturday.
Murray’s movement analyzed
If his opener towards Liam Broady on Tuesday was merely about earning a return to the court docket, and his narrow defeat by Kyle Edmund expected aggression and supplied a gauge of how competitive he could be, then this match was a examination of his movement close to the court.
Ward pushed Murray large and pressured him to scamper following drop-photographs, and requested queries of his stamina in some prolonged game titles in the first established.
The fact Murray gained the two longest video games – a 13-moment sixth activity and an 11-minute eighth sport, equally on the Ward provide – gave him some encouraging answers, even if some of his declarations did not.
“So, so very poor” he shouted at one particular position, in advance of telling commentators through 1 changeover that he was “a little bit weary out listed here”.
They may well have just been warmth-of-the-moment sentiments but the sight of him stretching out his hip at situations was a incredibly serious reminder of the enormity of the challenge the previous world range 1 faces in returning to the prime of the activity immediately after hip operation.
Following trailing 4-2 in the second established, Murray stepped up a degree to break back right away and then carved out a 2nd break to go 6-5 up. He set up a few match details with a wonderful overhead just before wrapping up the get with a forehand down the line.
“Bodily, it was a very tricky match,” Murray explained to Amazon Key.
“I felt my hip a very little little bit but it did not have an effect on my movement. When I performed in November at the Davis Cup it was – my hip was sore and I was struggling to shift.
“I felt I moved the greatest I experienced completed in the three matches so which is a constructive. I’m delighted I have a rest day tomorrow as I am pretty tired.”
