"This is too much now" - Andy Murray's mother Judy and brother Jamie in disbelief after the Brit saves 5 match points to enter Qatar Open final
Andy Murray defeated Jiri Lehecka 6,0, 3-6, 7-6(6) in the semifinals of the Qatar Open on Friday, after saving as many as five match points.
Murray has made a habit of pulling off dramatic victories from the brink of defeat. In his opening match at the Qatar Open, the Brit saved three match points against Lorenzo Sonego. Alexander Zverev was, subsequently, just two points away from victory before Murray raised his level to win 7-6(5), 2-6, 7-5.
The three-time Slam champion secured another comeback victory against Alexandre Muller in the quarterfinals.
Murray took on Jiri Lehecka in the semifinals on Friday. He won the first set with ease, bagelling the 21-year-old. However, Lehecka fought back hard in the second set to force a decider.
In the final set, Murray was down a break but saved two match points on his own serve to force Lehecka to serve it out. The Brit then trailed 0-40 at 4-5, but again showed his resilience and saved all three match points before breaking Lehecka's serve. Murray eventually won the match in the deciding tiebreak.
Andy Murray's mother Judy has been supporting him from the stands throughout the tournament. She previously made it known that it would be nice to see the 35-year-old win a match in straight sets. Her relief was evident when Murray pulled off another thrilling victory in the semis.
"Yea he really did it," Judy Murray wrote on Instagram.
Jamie Murray also chimed in, saying that is brother's dramatic finishes were getting to be 'too much.'
"Andy, this is too much now," Jamie Murray wrote on Twitter.
Andy, This is too much now.
Andy Murray will face Daniil Medvedev in the Qatar Open final
Andy Murray himself was bewildered by how he managed to secure the win against Jiri Lehecka despite facing five match points.
Murray described his win against Lehecka in the Qatar Open semifinal as one of the most incredible comebacks of his career. He mentioned that he exerted pressure on Lehecka, knowing it was his first time serving for a place in the final.
Murray also admitted that he did not know how he managed to turn the match around.
“I don’t know [how I won]. That was one of the most amazing turnarounds I’ve had in my career. You obviously had the three match points at 5-4, but also [two] when I was serving at 5-3, and then I don’t know," Murray said.
“I knew it was his first time serving for a final, so I knew I had to try and keep the pressure on at the end. I know how difficult it is to serve matches like that out, but I’ve no idea how I managed to turn that one round to be honest,” he added.
Andy Murray will be up against Daniil Medvedev in the Qatar Open final. The Brit currently trails 0-2 in the head-to-head against Medvedev.
Their most recent encounter was at the Miami Masters in 2022, where the Russian won 6-4, 6-2.