Andy Murray marked his return to action for the first time since March with victory at Bordeaux on his 37th birthday.
Murray had been sidelined since rupturing ankle ligaments in a third-round loss to Tomas Machac at the Miami Open earlier this spring, but showed little rust against world number 219 Kyrian Jacquet during the ATP Challenger event in France.
The three-time Grand Slam champion triumphed 7-5 2-0 after his French opponent had to withdraw through injury just over an hour into his first round match at the clay-court tournament.
Murray was tested from the first set and it was only in the 11th game that he got the break before holding on to clinch the opener in 51 minutes with the help of his third ace.
He broke Jacquet in the first game of the second set, but then had to fend off two break points before extending his lead, at which point Jacquet gave up.
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The Sky Sports Tennis team explains why Murray decided to change racquets at such a late stage of his career
Murray – who will face another Frenchman, Grégoire Barrere, in the round of 16 – adopted a new racket for the match with Jacquet, playing with a Yonex rather than the Head equipment he has used throughout his career .
Murray intends to compete at the French Open later this month, likely for the final time after saying he does not plan to extend his career “much beyond this summer.”
His last appearance at Roland Garros was in 2020, losing in the first round to Stanislas Wawrinka, the same player he was beaten by in his previous match on clay in May 2023.
Murray’s fellow Brit Dan Evans, seeded fifth in the event, advanced to the second round with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Hugo Grenier and will next face Harold Mayot.
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Naomi Broady previews the French Open
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