Murray, a former world No. 1 and three-time Grand Slam champion, entered the Open ranked 382nd and was unseeded after playing sparingly this year. He had won eight straight matches against Verdasco dating to 2009. But Murray was playing his first tournament with a best-of-five-set format since returning in June.
“It’s still quite early in the process for me,” he said. “I did all right. I chased balls down right to the end of the match. I wasn’t giving up on points. It wasn’t the most comfortable I felt on a tennis court. But I got through it and fought right to the end.”
Verdasco will next play third-seeded Juan Martin del Potro, who dominated Denis Kudla, 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 (4). In breezing through the first two rounds, del Potro has spent a total of 3 hours 39 minutes on court. Verdasco’s win over Murray alone took 3:23. SCOTT CACCIOLA
A First for Fritz
The story lines of the match between Taylor Fritz and Jason Kubler on Court 13 were probably a mystery to all but the most passionate tennis fans.
Both were ranked No. 1 as juniors, Kubler in 2010 and Fritz in 2015. Both were trying to reach the third round of a Grand Slam event for the first time.
It was Fritz who made it through, after Kubler sustained an ankle injury late in the third set and was forced to retire after two points in the fourth, with Fritz leading by 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
That was an unfortunate and all too common end for Kubler, a 25-year-old Australian. Before this year, he hadn’t played in a major tournament since 2010. He played exclusively on clay courts for more than three years, until May 2015, because of a series of knee injuries.
Playing primarily on the Challenger tour, a rung below the ATP Tour, Kubler, 25, has had a strong summer on hard courts, winning two titles. His first-round win over Roberto Bautista Agut was Kubler’s first victory in the main draw of a major.
Asked if he was elated to get to the third round of a major, Fritz said: “Not as happy as I would be if I, you know, finished the match and won it without my opponent retiring. I mean, I hope he feels better. I saw it. After I came in, I saw the video of what happened. It looked really bad.”
On Friday, Fritz will play ninth-seeded Dominic Thiem, who needed five sets to get past the American Steve Johnson, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 6-1.
Venus Wins. Will Serena Follow?
Venus Williams did her part in making a Williams sisters third-round match happen. She defeated Camila Giorgi, 6-4, 7-5, at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
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