17:44
Zverev 0-1 Murray
That was quick and too easy: Murray won his first service game with no problems and is now leading 1-0. What does Zverev do with his own serve?
17:44
Zverev 0-0 Murray
Here we go! The first point goes quickly to Murray – the rally lasts only three shots and the Scot ends it with a placed forehand cross. In the second exchange of blows, it takes much longer for Zverev to put his backhand in the net. 30-0 to Murray.
17:35
The beginning is getting closer!
With a delay of almost an hour, things are now getting serious for the two players. Murray wins the coin toss and decides to serve – after playing in, it starts right away!
17:18
Rublev defeats Griekspoor – Center Court will be free in minutes
Rublev manages to comeback against the brave Griekspoor and wins 1:6, 6:1 and 7:6. Zverev and Murray will enter the pitch in a few minutes and start playing in.
17:00
Zverev and Murray have to be patient
Rublev and Griekspoor have a close match in the third set – the Russian fends off several match balls and saves himself to 4: 5 in the deciding set. Therefore, Center Court is still occupied and we will have to wait another 15 to 30 minutes.
16:42
Murray shows what he’s made of in Melbourne
Let’s use the time and take a closer look at Murray’s start to the 2023 tennis year: The Scot caused a stir at the Australian Open with his will to win and his physical condition. In the first round he turned an almost hopeless game with a score of 0:2 in sets and in the second round against Kokkinakis the former number one in the world also reached its limits. In five sets and an unbelievable playing time of 5:45 hours, he prevailed in the end, only to be defeated by the Spaniard Bautista Agut in the next round.
16:28
Center Court is still occupied
The match between Rublev and Griekspoor is now in the third and therefore decisive set. The new start time for Zverev’s match is 4:55 p.m. – we will keep you posted!
16:25
Zverev increases the load and faces an endurance test
After his injury, Alexander Zverev is still on the way back to the top of the world. At the Australian Open he didn’t get past the second round, but since then he has gained more match practice through the Davis Cup and the tournament in Rotterdam. At the 500 tournament in the Netherlands, it was finally over against Griekspoor, who ultimately prevailed against the German in three sets. With Andy Murray, another endurance test is now waiting in Qatar, which has to be passed.
16:18
The Scot wins the direct comparison
So far, the two opponents have only faced each other in a Grand Slam or ATP Masters tournament. In Head 2 Head Andy Murray is slightly ahead with 2:1 – he last won over the German number one in 2021 at the Masters in Indian Wells. Interesting fact: All duels took place outdoors on hard court, including this afternoon.
16:11
Murray has to go through three sentences, Zverev is only getting in now
For a 250 tournament, this round of 16 between Alexander Zverev and Andy Murray reads quite high-class. The Scot is taking part in the tournament with a wild card and defeated Italian Lorenzo Sonego 4:6, 6:1 and 7:6 in the first round. Zverev, on the other hand, got a bye as a seeded player and was playing his first match in Qatar in the round of 16.
16:02
Welcome to the Round of 16 of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open!
The game between Alexander Zverev and Andy Murray is scheduled for 4:35 p.m. – Rublev and Griekspoor are currently dueling on Center Court. The Dutchman clearly won the first set 6:1, in the second set it is 2:1 for Rublev. It is quite possible that the game of the German will be moved further back.