INDIAN WELLS MASTERS: ALEXANDER ZVEREV BEATS ANDY MURRAY TO MEET MONFILS

German Alexander Zverev knocked out former world No.1 Andy Murray in the Indians Wells Masters in the third round on Tuesday night in a 6-4 7-6 (7-4) to book a place in the fourth round match against French 14^th seed Gael Monfils.

The 2020 US Open finalist Zverev struggled at the early stage of the first set but Murray couldn’t sustain the momentum as Zverev took the first set. In the second set, Scot Murray started brilliantly well, took the first break but shockingly allowed Zrevev to make a quick come back, the German took back control, though with uncharacteristic mistakes as Murray forced a tie-break.

The three-time Grand Slam winner Zverev from there, showed a masterclass with strong back hand volley, coupled with a belt shot to take crucial points as he sealed a place in the fourth round.

Murray, who is sliding in the world ranking, currently is placed 121^st and he is expected to participate at the Antwerp tournament in Belgium, another in Vienna over the next two weeks, but has complained of his body level of fatigue and the 34 year-old might miss both shows. Though, he got a wildcard to play at the two scheduled events.

Again, the Australian Open is near and he could pause to rest for the Melbourne Grand Slam which he missed last year due to the global pandemic.

Meanwhile, his opponent Zverev was happy with the victory and said of the Scot, “He’s the only one of the Big Four that I hadn’t beaten yet, so I’m happy that I’ve done it,”

Zverev added, according to the BBC, “I always stayed in the match, even though I was down a break in both sets. I always knew I had a chance. The second set was extremely high level from both of us. It could have gone both ways.

“It was a fantastic match. Andy played extremely well, maybe as well as he’s played since the [hip] surgery. I hope he continues playing the same way, because tennis did miss him for a long time and it’s good to have him back.” Zverev said.

In other matches, Australian Alex de Minaur will play Greek world No.3 Tsitsipas in the fourth round. Tsitsipas had beaten Fabio Fognini 2-6 6-3 6-4, while American Taylor Fritz defeated Italian Matteo Berrenttini 6-4 6-3.