Former world number one Andy Murray battled his way through a tense second-set tie-break to edge out qualifier Viktor Durasovic in the opening match at the Stockholm Open on Tuesday.
Murray was tested in the second set of his first match at the ATP 250 event, and he once again passed with flying colours to record a 6-1, 7-6(7) victory in the Swedish capital.
Murray's win sets up a mouth-watering clash between the three-time Grand Slam champion and Jannik Sinner, the top seed in Stockholm. It will be the pair's first meeting.
"Sinner has had a fantastic season... He was very unlucky to not make the Final Eight [at the ATP Finals] in Turin," Murray said post-match, as per atptour.com. "He loves playing indoors on hard courts, so it will be a big test for me."
Elsewhere, Fifth seed Taylor Fritz needed an hour and 14 minutes to defeat lucky loser Egor Gerasimov by 6-4, 6-4. The American will next face his regular doubles partner Tommy Paul for the second time in three weeks.
( With inputs from ANI )
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