By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, February 24, 2023
Andy Murray battled back from the brink saving five match points edging Jiri Lehecka 6-0, 3-6, 7-6(6) to reach his fifth Doha final and 71st career final.
Photo credit: Colin McPhedran/MB Media/Getty Images
Facing five match points against a powerful opponent 14 years his junior, Andy Murray didn't blink.
The man with the metal hip and titanium spine had Jiri Lehecka right where he wanted him.
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A defiant Murray delivered yet another competitive death-defying comeback fighting off five match points to edge Lehecka 6-0, 3-6, 7-6(6) in a wild Doha semifinal thriller.
The 35-year-old Scot summons Braveheart spirit when pushed to the very brink. The adrenaline rush that comes from these epic matches must feel like a euphoric narcotic and Murray is hopelessly hooked.
An adrenalized Murray brought supportive Doha fans along on a thrill ride of a comeback that saw him save two match points serving at 3-5 and three more match points when Lehecka served for his maiden final at 5-4, 40-love.
Struggle brings out the best in Murray, who has never lost his appetite for a fierce fight. Murray converted his second match point when Lehecka pushed a forehand volley just wide to reach his first final since the Stuttgart title match last June.
Pulling off another profound escape act, Murray conceded he had no clue how he staged one of the most mesmerizing comebacks of his career.
"I don't know; that was one of the most amazing turnarounds I've had in my career," Murray said. "He obviously had the three match points at 5-4, but I also think [he match match points] when I was serving at 5-3.
"I knew his first time maybe serving for a final so I had to keep the pressure on at the end... I have no idea how I managed to turn that one round to be honest."
The two-time Olympic gold-medal champion continues to summon heavy mettle amid match-point pressure. All four of Murray's Doha victories this week—against Lorenzo Sonego, Alexander Zverev, Alexandre Muller and Lehecka—have gone the distance continuing his season-long trend.
Prevailing in a two-and-a-half-hour grind today, Murray raised his record to 6-2 this season. All six of his victories have come in deciding sets and he's saved a total of nine match points in three of those six marathon matches.
The 70th-ranked Murray will meet either former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev or Felix Auger-Aliassime in tomorrow's final.
Lehecka was on the verge of his first ATP final when he seized a 40-love lead and three more match points serving at 5-4. The 21-year-old Czech committed the cardinal sin of approaching to Murray's rock-solid two-hander and paid a severe price.
Murray bent low to bang a backhand pass crosscourt to save the fourth match point then stepped in and smacked his two-hander with menace erasing the fifth match point.
Deadlocked at deuce, Lehecka drew the short ball he wanted but slapped a sitter forehand into the top of the tape to face a break point. When the lanky Czech lashed a diagonal forehand wide, Murray broke back to level after 10 games.
Pumping his fist furiously, Murray shouted toward his box which screamed support and threw clenched fists right back at him.
Neither man could manage much separation in a pressure-packed tiebreaker. Lehecka launched his eighth ace to level the breaker at 5-5.
On Murray's first match point at 6-5, Lehecka pulled the strong on a clever drop shot. Murray stumbled slightly sprinting forward and seemed to tweak his left ankle retrieving the ball, but Lehecka bumped a volley into the open court for 6-6.
Undaunted, Murray zapped an ace down the middle for a second match point. Lehecka played the surprise serve-and-volley and had the open court he wanted but narrowly pushed a forehand volley wide.
An ecstatic Murray showed creative survival skills and will play for a 47th career title tomorrow.