Miami open: Murray has last laugh vs Berrettini, again

Miami Gardens (US), March 21

Andy Murray won another lengthy match with Matteo Berrettini, who appeared weary and leaned on his racquet to keep his balance during Murray’s 4-6 6-3 6-4 victory at the Miami Open.

Playing his first match on the ATP Tour this season, Berrettini was serving with Murray leading 5-2 in the second set when he seemed to become dizzy, resting his racquet on the court to hold himself up. He was visited by a medical attendant, who checked his blood pressure before play continued.

Berrettini left the court after dropping that set but was able to finish the match, which lasted 2 hours and 49 minutes. It was a rematch of Murray’s 6-3 6-3 4-6 6-7(7) 7-6 (10-6) victory that lasted nearly five hours in the first round of the 2023 Australian Open.

“It was obviously a great win for me,” Murray said. “Started off a little bit slow but then I did think I played pretty well across then end of the first set through to the end of the match.”

Naomi Osaka, a two-time US Open champion, beat Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-3 6-4 in her return to Miami. The runner-up to Iga Swiatek in her last appearance in 2022 advanced to face No. 15 seed Elina Svitolina in the second round. Elsewhere, Sloane Stephens celebrated her 31st birthday by beating Angelique Kerber 6-2 6-3. Donna Vekic beat Karolina Pliskova 6-4 2-6 6-2; and Americans Danielle Collins and Shelby Rogers advanced with three-set victories. — AP

Heartbroken Aryna asks for privacy

Aryna Sabalenka said her “heart is broken” by the death of Konstantin Koltsov, asking for privacy for herself and the family of the former Belarusian hockey player she had dated. Koltsov died Monday, days before the second-ranked Sabalenka was set to begin play in the Miami Open. “Konstantin’s death is an unthinkable tragedy, and while we were no longer together, my heart is broken,” Sabalenka said in a statement. ap