Andy Murray’s swansong continues on the Paris Olympics after a nail-biting 6-3, 6-7 (8-10), 11-9 victory over Belgian duo Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen to achieve the quarter-finals alongside Dan Evans.
The match got here all the way down to a tie-break, the Brits finally combating again and claiming an 11-9 victory on their third match level.
The win places Murray’s retirement on maintain as he tries to exit on a excessive on the Olympics.
Murray and Evans seemed fiery and really a lot within the zone because the match bought below method, racing to a commanding lead 4-1 lead earlier than the Belgians fought again.
On the second set level on Evans’ serve, they managed to cruise the primary set 6-3, Murray’s fist bump clear for all to see.
The second set was extra aggressive than the primary, with the video games going with the serve and the Belgian pair rushing up.
With the set at 6-6, the match entered a tie-break and with issues all sq. at 5-5, two match factors got here and went for the Brits earlier than issues locked in as soon as once more at 8-8.
Nonetheless, a double fault from Evans then noticed their opponents clinch the second set 10-8.
With that heightening the stress, the match tie-break took issues to fever pitch, errors and brilliance in equal measure bringing the rating to 8-6 in favour of the Belgians earlier than the Brits fought again as soon as once more to equal issues at 9-9.
From there, they rallied as soon as once more and jubilant celebrations ensued as they clinched the win at 11-9.
“If I was standing here having lost that, I think Dan and I would have been very disappointed as we played much better than the first match,” Murray stated.
“I served way better and we deserved to win. Great to save a couple of match points but it shouldn’t have got to that stage.
“It is unbelievably emotional. You are unbelievably completely satisfied after which for no matter purpose, I do not know why however completely satisfied tears.
“I don’t know why that’s the case but I was really emotional at the end of the match. Happy, exciting that we managed to get through another amazing finish. It takes a lot out of you so I’m grateful for a day off tomorrow.”
Nadal and Alcaraz proceed on below the highlight
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz improved to 2-0 as a crew on the Paris Olympics and shifting into the quarter-finals with a 6-4, 6-7 (2), 10-2 match tiebreaker victory over Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands on Tuesday night time.
Taking part in a day after Nadal’s singles loss to rival Novak Djokovic and Alcaraz’s win in opposition to Griekspoor, the old-and-young Spanish duo, sporting polo shirts in barely totally different shades of pink, did not seem like a pairing that by no means had performed collectively till this occasion.
As has been the case all through tennis at this Summer time Video games, the eye was absolutely on the 38-year-old Nadal, proprietor of twenty-two Grand Slam titles and two gold medals, and the 21-year-old Alcaraz, whose main trophy whole already is at 4, together with from the French Open final month and Wimbledon this month.
Nadal and Alcaraz will face the fourth-seeded American crew of Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram for a spot within the semi-finals.
Draper crushed to finish British singles hopes
Jack Draper wilted within the Paris warmth as Britain’s hopes of a singles medal ended together with his exit to American seventh seed Taylor Fritz within the second spherical.
British males’s No 1 Jack Draper was knocked out within the second spherical of the lads’s singles on the Paris Olympics
The 22-year-old started the match nicely, taking the opening set however, with temperatures nicely over 30 levels, his problem
faltered and he in the end fell to a 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 6-2 defeat.
Draper had six break factors within the third sport of the second set however Fritz’s large serve got here to his rescue as he clung on after which broke the Brit quickly after by way of a badly timed double fault.
Then from late within the second set and thru the decider, Draper was barely capable of chase down balls, together with his resistance rapidly operating out.
Elsewhere within the males’s singles, defending Olympic champion Alexander Zverev saved cool in hovering temperatures to march into the third spherical, the German securing a 6-3 7-5 victory over Czech hopeful Tomas Machac.
Tearful Gauff suffers shock third-round exit
Coco Gauff was left in tears after moving into an prolonged argument with the chair umpire throughout a 7-6 (9-7) 6-2 loss to Wimbledon semi-finalist Donna Vekic of Croatia within the third spherical of the ladies’s singles.
Gauff was already trailing by a set when the incident occurred but it surely got here at a vital level within the second set, with the American damaged and happening to lose two video games later.
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Sky Sports activities’ Geraint Hughes explains why reigning U.S champion Coco Gauff was left in tears after she crashed out of the ladies’s singles on the Olympics following defeat to Donna Vekic
The 20-year-old reigning US Open champion had a serve returned by Vekic close to the baseline which the road choose initially known as out, just for chair umpire Jaume Campistol to overrule the choice and award Vekic the purpose as she broke serve for a 4-2 lead.
Gauff, who was one of many US flagbearers on the opening ceremony, was seeded second in Paris and had received her opening two matches comfortably, dropping a complete of simply 5 video games.
French Open and Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini, seeded fourth within the ladies’s singles, additionally suffered a shock third-round exit, the Italian hopeful dropping to Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 7-5 3-6 7-5.
Boutler and Watson progress as latter then loses in combined doubles
Katie Boulter and Heather Watson defeated German duo Angelique Kerber and Laura Siegemund 6-2 6-3 within the ladies’s doubles.
Siegemund is ranked fifth on the earth in doubles and Kerber a three-time former grand slam champion in addition to a singles quarter-finalist right here, however Boulter and Watson made a formidable crew and dominated the competition.
“It was awesome,” stated Boulter. “It was a very special moment, especially for me, because that was my first Olympics win. It just makes it even better
because I’m doing it with Hev.
However, Watson and Joe Salisbury are out of the mixed doubles after suffering a narrow first-round exit against Gabriela Dabrowski and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Watson and Salisbury battled back from a set down before the Canadian pair claimed a 7-5 4-6 10-3 win to progress to the quarter-finals.
The Canadians will now play third seeds Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz in the last eight.
How to follow the Olympics on Sky
Keep up to date with the action from the Paris 2024 Olympics across Sky Sports’ digital platforms and Sky Sports News every day between now and Sunday August 11.
Alongside live news blogs and updates as records are broken and medals won on skysports.com and the Sky Sports app, Sky Sports News will also have dedicated reporters on the scene in Paris during the Games to gather the latest news both inside and outside the arenas in France as well as reaction to the big moments from medal winners, coaches, relatives and pundits.
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