US Open tennis: Andy Murray edges thriller with Haase to keep dream alive

Andy Murray came back from two sets to love down for the sixth time in his career to beat Robin Haase 6-7 (5-7) 2-6 6-2 6-0 6-4 in the most dramatic of US Open second-round matches.

It had looked all over when the fourth seed won 13 games in a row to lead 4-0 in the decider having thrown away the first-set tie-break and then been comprehensively outplayed in a second set where he won only won one point on his second serve.

Haase was out on his feet but the Dutchman found some energy and broke Murray twice before the Scot finally clinched victory on his third match point after three hours and 23 minutes.

Although Haase is not a household name, Murray knew full well the danger posed by the hard-hitting Dutchman, who is at a career high of 41 in the world rankings.

Murray struggled in the early stages, going down a break before Haase wobbled serving for the opening set. The fourth seed made a good start to the tie-break and led 4-1 but from there his forehand crumbled and Haase took advantage, despite seeing his opponent save one set point with the luckiest of net cords.

Louis Armstrong Stadium does not hold good memories for Murray, who lost to Nikolay Davydenko in 2007 and Stanislas Wawrinka last year on Flushing Meadows’ second court. And he could not have made a worse start to the second set, playing a dreadful game to be broken to love.

Murray’s forehand really had fallen apart, but he at least managed to save a break point to avoid falling 4-0 behind, and this time he did respond in Haase’s next service game. But, having got himself back in the set, he promptly threw it away with a sixth double fault on break point and Haase broke again to take the set as a Murray forehand limped into the middle of the net.

The Scot loves this tournament, having won the junior title in 2004 and reached the final in 2008, but he had to change things fast if he was to avoid a very early exit. Murray tried to fire himself up and he let out a huge roar of “Come on!” when he hit back from 40-0 to break the Haase serve in the third game of the third set.

The 24-year-old closed in on one of the sets he needed with another break, this time Haase double-faulting on break point and Murray, who had cut out the errors, had no trouble serving it out.

The Dutchman had started to look very weary and he took a medical time-out for treatment to his lower back at the start of the fourth set. But he was under pressure immediately and he dropped his serve again.

Murray wobbled to give away three break points for a break back but Haase could not take any of them and the fourth seed rubbed salt in the wound with another break, his sixth game in a row. It was one-way traffic now and it was no surprise when Murray made it nine games in a row to clinch the fourth set.

That swiftly became ten, and Murray had the crowd on their feet when he whipped a superb running forehand past Haase in the third game of the deciding set. He won that game too, and by the time Haase finally stopped the rot at 13 in a row, the match surely was over. But the Dutchman was given a glimmer of hope when, out of nowhere, he broke Murray.

Suddenly Haase was back to the player of the first two sets, nailing groundstrokes, and unbelievably he brought up three break points with the fourth seed serving at 3-4, taking the third with a brilliant backhand winner. If the Dutchman could hold to leave Murray serving to stay in the match, the pressure really would be on, but he could not, just missing with a forehand on break point to put the Scot one game away.

Still there was drama, Murray going 0-30 down, and then recovering to match point when a forehand clipped the net. That one disappeared, then Haase missed a break point, and most dramatically of all the Dutchman successfully challenged a forehand winner that had been called out. But on the third match point Haase hit a forehand long and Murray, just, was through to a third-round clash with Spaniard Feliciano Lopez.

“That will be a tough match and if I play like I did tooday then I might be going home,” said Murray afterwards. “I wasn’t playing well early on but at the end of the third set my game was so much better. I’m glad to get through in the end.”