Murray joins exclusive Grand Slam club after US Open win as decision vindicated
A near sell-out crowd at Grandstand saw Andy Murray progress to the second round of the 2023 US Open, as he beat Corentin Moutet in straight sets.
The 2012 US Open champion became the ninth man to reach 200 singles wins in Grand Slams, and now trails Pete Sampras by three wins on the all-time leaderboard. Murray made a convincing start to the match, winning the first set 6-2 as Moutet struggled with a right wrist injury.
The Frenchman had surgery at the start of the year and even underwent further treatment last month, but he powered through initially and proved to be a much tougher test in the second set. Moutet had three set points, but failed to take any as Murray broke back and went on to win 7-5 and take a commanding lead.
Moutet was defeated, fighting the urge to smash his racket on multiple occasions before finally giving in. The Frenchman also fell during the third set and was booed by the crowd, after expressing his anger at the umpire for not allowing him to consume his 'pickle juice'.
Murray then wrapped up a straight-set victory to the delight of the crowd, who all turned up to watch the former champion in action. The crowd were all on Murray's side and now the 36-year-old will look to push on in the tournament.
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"It was amazing, a brilliant atmosphere," Murray said after the win. "He [Corentin Moutet] is one of the most skilful players on the tour. He has so many ways to disrupt you. He always causes a little bit of chaos. I hope it was entertaining for everyone.
"I am glad to get through in straight sets because the second set was very tight. It was a long one but the way that we play it was probably always going to be that. It was a lot shorter than most of matches this year! I'm happy to get it done in under three hours.
Murray was on top form against Corentin Moutet (2023 Getty Images)"I had to slowly build my serving up this month but I was happy with how I served today. I can't wait to move on to the next one.
"I'm at my highest ranking since I had the metal hip put in. I'm happy with that. It's not been an easy journey. Obviously I want to be ranked higher but this is the best I've played consistently since 2017. I'm happy to keep going and progressing and am hoping to push my ranking up."
Murray may not be the same as he once was, but class is permanent and Moutet looked stunned as the Scotsman produced some classic winners throughout the match. There were doubts surrounding Murray heading into the US Open, as he missed events in both Toronto and Cincinnati in the build up to the event.
The 36-year-old suffered an abdominal injury ahead of the final major in 2023, and decided not to risk playing in the Cincinnati Open even though it could have been vital practice before the big event. Ahead of his first-round clash Murray was convinced he made the right call, and his decision was justified on Tuesday.
Grandstand was completely full to watch Murray in action (2023 Getty Images)"I think I made the right decision [to rest]," Murray said before the start of the US Open. The Scotsman has battled with injuries over the past six years, failing to reach the fourth round of any Grand Slam event since 2017.
Therefore, he and his team have to be extremely vigilant about any potential issues, and they spotted the abdominal tear very early on. "You have to be very careful with that," Murray explained.
"You can’t protect that when you’re playing matches. You’re having to use that area a lot, especially when you’re serving. I had to take six or seven days off from serving and slowly build back up. It has not been perfect in that sense but my ab has been ok."
Murray will face Grigor Dimitrov in the second round, but while Murray's first match was over in three sets, his next opponent played a five-set thriller with Alex Molcan that was only decided by a tie-breaker. Murray will have the crowd advantage in the early rounds as fans are desperate to see him return to a deep stage in the competition, and he has Sampras' record in his reach.
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