Andy Murray once again showed a valiant heart. This time, the Briton saved five match points in the semi-finals of the ATP 250 hard court tournament in Doha. He will play for the title on Saturday against Daniil Medvedev.

After hip surgery and his return to the circuit, Andy Murray, 35, continues to surprise and deliver exceptional results. In the Qatari capital, he has already played four matches in three sets and even if he came close to defeat a few times, he will play his 47th title in the main series on Saturday.

In the semi-finals on Friday in Doha, the former ATP ranking leader faced Jiri Lehecka. After two hours and 29 minutes, the Briton beat the 21-year-old Czech 6:0, 3:6, 7:6(6). The most important events took place in the third set. In the ninth game, Murray saved two match points. After switching sides, he fended off three more match points, this time on the serve of the rival, who was leading 40-0!

– I don’t know how I won it. This is one of the most incredible comebacks of my career. I had to save three match points at 4-5, but also two at 3-5. I knew he was serving in the final for the first time, so I tried to put pressure on him. I realize how hard it is to serve up a win in these matches, but honestly I have no idea how I managed to turn it around,” Murray said in a post-match interview. in the field.

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For Murray, currently ranked 70th in the ATP rankings, this will be his fourth final after hip surgery. The Briton has been waiting for the title since autumn 2019, when he triumphed at the ATP 250 indoor event in Antwerp. On Saturday, at 4:00 p.m. Polish time, a challenge awaits him. He will play with Daniil Medvedev, with whom he has lost twice in the main series so far (Brisbane 2019, Miami 2022).

The third-seeded Russian flew to Doha straight from Rotterdam, where he won the ATP 500 indoor title. Felix Auger-Aliassime. He was better than the Canadian in Rotterdam last week. On Friday, he increased the balance of the match against the representative of the country of the maple leaf to 6-0.

– The game today and yesterday was incredibly even. Confidence matters as Felix had three set points in the tie-break. But I managed to stay in the game and that was enough to win. The match was at a very high level. We played two sets for two hours – confessed Medvedev.

The 27-year-old Muscovite will fight for his 17th trophy in the main series on Saturday. Despite a favorable record (2-0) he has respect for the exploits of Murray. – It’s a legend. The game is improving. Not just here, but in general. It’s amazing to watch. He is very brave. I am very happy to meet him in the final – said Medvedev, currently ranked eighth.

The winners of the doubles tournament were also announced on Friday. The champions were third seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden, who beat French-Dutch duo Constant Lestienne and Botic van de Zandschulp 6-7(5), 6-4, 10-6. The nearly 43-year-old Indian representative won the circuit’s 23rd doubles championship. The Aussie who partners it has eight.

Qatar ExxonMobil OpenDoha, Qatar)
ATP 250, hard court, $1.377 million prize pool
Friday February 24

single semi-final:

Andy Murray (UK, WC) v Jiri Lehecka (Czech Republic) 6-0, 3-6, 7-6(6)
Daniil Medvedev (3) – Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada, 2) 6-4, 7-6(7)

doubles final:

Rohan Bopanna (India, 3rd) / Matthew Ebden (Australia, 3rd) – Constant Lestienne (France) / Botic van de Zandschulp (Netherlands) 6:7(5), 6:4, 10-6

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