MANACOR, Spain - It was a match in name only and the setting was a world away from the U.S.
Open that started on Monday but Andy Murray cared not a jot as he notched his first singles win since returning from career-saving hip surgery.
The Rafa Nadal Academy on the edge of 18-time Grand Slam champion Nadal's home town of Manacor is a plush state-of-the-art facility backed by olive-green hills. For Murray it was a taste of the winning feeling, something he has not experienced in singles since January in Brisbane, shortly before a tearful first-round exit at the Australian Open when it appeared a flaking hip would end his career.
Murray played in second gear throughout and even resisted the temptation to claim a "double bagel" when he casually netted a forehand in the 12th game to hand Sibille a game -- cue the biggest cheer of the evening.
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