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In 2023, Andy Murray is 5-0 in best-of-three-set matches to go the distance, along with 2-0 in best-of-five matches that go to five; the 35-year-old, three-time Grand Slam champion is 0-3 this year in contests that conclude earlier than the full three or five sets
Andy Murray battled back to win another epic match that went the distance as he beat Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 6-4 in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells on Thursday.
Murray's victory, which spanned over three hours, means he stays unbeaten this season in matches that have gone to a deciding third or fifth set.
So far in 2023, Murray is 5-0 in best-of-three-set matches to go the duration, along with 2-0 in best-of-five matches that go to five. He is 0-3 in contests that conclude earlier.
The 35-year-old will now face 15th-seeded Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta in the next round, with a Murray victory setting up a second-straight all-British clash in the tournament against the winner of Dan Evans and Jack Draper's meeting.
Murray faced a pair of break points against Etcheverry while serving at 15-40 and already trailing 4-3 in the final set. Convert either of those chances and the Argentinian would have been serving for the match.
But Murray crucially managed to hold, launching a three-game, match-ending run to see him safely through to the next round, serving things out with a sixth ace of the match fired out wide on match point.
"I've been fighting my hardest," Murray said after the contest. "I really want to make the most of these last years that I've got.