Andy Murray vs. Denis Istomin: Score, Reaction from 2016 Miami Open

Andy Murray advanced through the second round of the Miami Open on Saturday with a 6-3, 7-5 win in a back-and-forth thriller with Denis Istomin. 

Istomin gave Murray fits throughout and particularly in the second set before Murray could finally win back-to-back games and secure the victory. 

The Uzbekistani gave a valiant effort over the one hour, 38-minute affair but came up just short at the very end. Istomin had five aces to Murray’s one and looked to be on the verge of a big run, per TennisTV (via the Miami Open):

Murray was cruising in the first set before Istomin got going. After Murray earned two break points, Howard Bryant of ESPN.com noted Murray prompted him to ponder if watching the Villanova-Kansas NCAA tournament game would be more worthwhile:

Deadspin’s Timothy Burke echoed that sentiment, noting Murray looked like he was on cruise control:

Murray went on to win the set convincingly, per the Miami Open:

Drama mounted in the climatic stages of the second set when Murray discovered he and Istomin were mistakenly playing with women’s tennis balls. 

The eventual winner jawed at length with the official in between games wondering how such a mistake could surface, via ESPN:

The world No. 2 picked up his third win in as many meetings against Istomin, but it was their first meeting since the 2013 U.S. Open. 

In the third round, Murray will take on Grigor Dimitrov, who is coming off a gritty, 7-6(8), 4-6, 6-4 win over Federico Delbonis earlier Saturday. 

Murray, last year’s runner-up in the Miami Open, will continue to be a threat at the event he’s won twice.