Andy Murray stepped up his return to competitive tennis with an impressive three-set victory over world no 7 Alexander Zverev in the last 32 of the Western & Southern Open. The Scot, who said he felt “physically good” after beating American Frances Tiafoe in the first round in his first competitive match in nine months, backed that up with a 6-3 3-6 7-5 win over the fifth-seeded German.
The victory was Murray’s first over a top-10 player since 2017.
“I don’t think either of us played particularly well when we were close to the finishing line,” Murray said.
“But (that was) maybe to be expected since we haven’t played any matches for such a long period.
“He didn’t serve so well at the end, which obviously helped me but I fought hard and it is a good effort to win that after not playing for a while.”
READ MORE: Murray sets up Zverev after impressive Cincinnati win over Tiafoe
Murray leads Raonic 9-3 in career meetings, including winning their past eight encounters, one of which was the 2016 Wimbledon final.
“I have played him a lot. Huge serve,” Murray said.
“I saw a bit of his match against Dan Evans. He is serving well, playing aggressive, which is when he plays his best.
“We have played each other in some big matches. We played at the US Open, Cincinnati, Wimbledon final, the Australian Open.
“He has had his injury struggles as well, so it is nice to see him back.”
Amazon Prime Video will be showing live coverage of the match in the UK.
A subscription costs £7.99 per month but new customers signing up can enjoy a 30-day free trial, which can be cancelled at any time.
Live streaming of Murray leads Raonic is also available for free through selected UK betting sites.