Murray is coming off a semifinal finish at the Barcelona Open, where he was bested by Dominic Thiem after three sets in the aforementioned round. Prior to that stage, the World No. 1 needed a final-set tiebreak against Albert Ramos-Vinolas, whom he already lost to in the previous tournament at Monte Carlo.
It’s safe to say that Murray hasn’t been as lethal as he’s supposed to be, but nonetheless he continues to find ways to overcome adversities. The Briton currently carries a 15-5 record this season, including 3-2 on clay and the Dubai Open title.
Murray and Marius Copil have never faced each other, which should add a bit of intrigue to this meeting.
Copil gave everything he had in the opening round to secure this impending duel with the top-seeded Murray.
The Romanian beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in a match that went to three sets (7-6(6), 4-6, 7-6(9)) and lasted for nearly three hours. Copil showed some toughness down the stretch there, delivering the goods in the third set tiebreaker, 11-9.
On the year, Copil is only 3-5 on ATP events, but that recent victory boosted his confidence further heading into this clash against the World No. 1.
