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Andy Murray fought his way to a three-set win over Laurent Lokoli at the ATP Challenger Tour 175 event in Aix-en-Provence on Thursday after his French opponent had saved five match points.
Murray won 6-4,5-7, 6-3 in the second-round tie at the Open Aix Provence which turned into a marathon affair lasting two hours and 42 minutes. The 35-year-old ranked 52 in the world and 135 places higher than Lokoli - shaded a tight first set on the French clay. Murray failed to take two match points and Lokoli, who was animated and waved his arms in the air to rev up the home crowd, battled back to make it 5-4. Another two match points came and went for Murray in the next game, with Lokoli's drop shots proving a powerful weapon against the Scot. Lokoli soon took the second set with Murray unable to halt a five-game losing streak. Both players served impressively in the deciding set until Murray applied the pressure and seized a third break point to lead 5-3. Despite Lokoli producing a stunning forehand winner to save a fifth match point, Murray eventually wrapped up victory - much to his obvious relief. It was the first time he had secured back-to-back wins since Indian Wells in March. Having beaten Gael Monfils in the first round, Murray will face a third French player, Luca Van Assche, in the quarter-finals on Friday. The Englishmen have won 46 singles titles, including three Grand Slams (US Open and Wimbledon twice), 14 Masters 1000 series, two Olympic Gold Medals, and a title at the ATP Finals. Murray is considered Great Britain's most successful tennis player of the Open era. Andy Murray ended 77 years of British heartbreak when he became the first British male to win the Wimbledon Championships in 2013, before lifting the iconic trophy three years later in 2016 - the most decorated year of his career. (ANI)
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