Canadian Open: Andy Murray Defeats Max Purcell To Reach Last 16 In Toronto

Andy Murray battled hard to beat Max Purcell in the Australian qualifier to reach the last 16 at the Canadian Open.

The 36-year-old Briton beat Purcell 7-6 (7-2) 3-6, 7-5 in two hours and 47 minutes in Toronto. Murray will face seventh seed Yannick Sinner of Italy for a place in the quarter-finals.

Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz, 20, who beat American Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) in a second-round match, also advanced to the next round.

The world number one will meet Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz after a competitive encounter with 20-year-old Shilton.

There was little difference between Murray and Purcell in the early stages, and although Murray won the first set on a tiebreaker, Purcell, ranked world number 78, rallied in the second round to force the decider.

Purcell, 25, broke early but three-times grand slam champion Murray held serve for 4-2 to launch a counterattack.

At 5-5, Murray again tried to hold on and took the lead before breaking Purcell’s serve in the 12th game of the set to win the match.

Meanwhile, Murray talks about his enjoyment of watching Alcaraz play — especially when he takes risks.

“What I love about watching him is the freedom with which he plays, and I think part of that is youth. I just hope he doesn’t lose it,” Murray told the ATP website.

“Sometimes it feels kamikaze, but it’s completely instinctive. And I love that.”

Murray and Alcaraz are preparing for the US Open, which begins August 28 in New York.

Alcaraz is the defending champion after beating Norway’s Casper Ruud last year to win his first Grand Slam title.