By Chris Oddo | Tuesday June 14, 2016
Andy Murray’s second go-round with Ivan Lendl as his head coach started at full-tilt on Tuesday as the world No. 2 had to endure a sizzling fight from ‘s-Hertogenbosch champion Nicolas Mahut to survive, 7-6(8), 7-6(1).
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Murray, bidding to become the first man to win five titles at Queen’s Club, was behind a break in both sets and he needed to save a set point in the first-set tiebreaker as well as another three while serving at 5-6 in the second set.
But the top seed held firm to close his victory while Lendl stolidly looked on from his perch next to Jamie Delgado in the coach’s box.
Murray improves to 91-17 on grass with his victory, and 26-5 at Queen’s.
Murray hit 15 aces and saved three of five break points on the day to improve to 5-1 lifetime against Mahut.
Second-seeded Stan Wawrinka did not fare as well as Murray. The Swiss was knocked off by Fernando Verdasco, 6-2, 7-6(3). Wawrinka, who defeated Verdasco at Wimbledon in straight-sets last year, drops to 2-3 against the Spaniard lifetime.
With his win, Verdasco improves to 2-2 vs. the Top 5 in 2016, and 12-53 lifetime.
Verdasco will face Bernard Tomic in the second round, while Murray will face either Aljaz Bedene or Benoit Paire.
Tomic defeated Kevin Anderson on Tuesday, 6-3, 6-4.
In other action at Queen’s Club, 5th-seeded and 2012 champion Marin Cilic defeated Feliciano Lopez, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, while sixth-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut defeated American Sam Querrey, 7-6(2), 6-7(4), 7-6(1).
Donald Young (d. Pospisil) and Adrian Mannarino (d. Garcia Lopez) were also winners.