Andy Murray loses to Fernando Verdasco in US Open second round – as it happened
Andy Murray was knocked out in the second round of the US Open in New York
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Andy Murray faced one of his toughest challenges yet on his comeback from hip surgery as he took on No 31 seed Fernando Verdasco in the second round of the US Open.
The former world No 1 played down his chances of winning a second title at Flushing Meadows as he looks to continue his gradual return to action, and after beating Australian James Duckworth in the first round, his reward was a tricky task against the current world No 32.
Murray has played higher-ranked opposition since returning to action – most notably his fellow Briton Kyle Edmund – but this was his first Grand Slam back since Wimbledon last year. Verdasco will now take on either Denis Kudla or former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro in the third round.
Re-live the live action below...
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Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of the US Open second-round clash between Andy Murray and Fernando Verdasco, which takes place inside the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.
With the match expected to get underway around 7.00pm BST [2.00pm ET], we'll kick-off our build-up from 6.00pm with everything you need ahead of the encounter.
Hello, and welcome to the live text coverage of Andy Murray vs Fernando Verdasco in the second round of the US Open.
It's been a busy few days across the pond so far: in the searing heat, there's been a sexism row, shared ice-baths, a naked Novak Djokovic - as well as actual tennis.
Join us as we recap the events of the last few days, and gear up to see if former world number one Andy Murray can progress to the next round.
Things are hotting up...
We thought we had endured all the heat we could during the UK's heatwave - about which I'm still having nightmares - but the hot weather is back with a vengeance here.
Five men had to retire from their first-round matches yesterday because of heat-related issues as temperatures soared to 38C degrees in New York.
They were exacerbated by humidity levels of more than 50%, with some players insisting the matches shouldn't have been played.
It's all meant the tournament organisers have had to introduce their first ever extreme heat policy - which we'll learn more about a little later on.
"You'll have to speak up - I'm wearing a towel..."
GettyNovak Djokovic was one of the victims of yesterday's merciless heat - in fact, he and opponent Hungarian opponent Márton Fucsovics were the first players to take a 10-minute heat break between the third and fourth sets, the first time US Open organisers have implemented an extreme heat policy in men's matches.
The heat was so brutal that the Serb was actually unsteady on his feet at times, cooled his face repeatedly with iced towels and even requested a sick bucket be placed next to his chair in the second set.
As if that wasn't enough, Djokovic and Fucsovics ended up sharing an ice bath together, naked - which 31-year-old Djokovic described as "a quite wonderful feeling".
Fucsovics, however, was a little less enthused, commenting: "It was too hot for tennis. It's dangerous."
US Open embroiled in sexism row
US Open officials incurred the wrath of Judy Murray this week - after French tennis player Alize Cornet was given a code violation by her match umpire for removing her shirt after putting it on the wrong way round.
Male players routinely remove their shirts without punishment, and the sanction has started a sexism row over in New York.
Judy, 58, took to Twitter to voice her concerns.
"Alize Cornet came back to court after 10 minute heat break. Had her fresh shirt on back to front. Changed at back of court. Got a code violation. Unsportsmanlike conduct..... But the men can change shirts on court," [sic] she tweeted, with the blushing emoji for good measure.
Judy seemed satisfied with the US Open's statement in response, though - but many weren't...
Here's how the US Open's organisers responded to the outrage generated by Cornet's punishment.
The line to take from this - aside from the fact the USTA “regret” that Cornet was warned for changing her top - is that, they suggest, the warning was issued because she changed at the back of the court, rather than by her chair.
Murray tweeted the A-OK emoji, but the statement didn't go down so well elsewhere, with many Twitter users upset.
https://twitter.com/karenwr75084451/status/1034852239544930310
So, on to today.
Andy Murray is back in action after a build-up punctured by the hip injury that forced him out of Wimbledon last month less than 24 hours before the tournament began.
The former world number one was forced to have hip surgery in January after limping out of Wimbledon the year previously, and he withdrew from last year's US Open less than 48 hours before it started.
It's been a tumultuous ride for Murray to make it out to his first Grand Slam in more than a year - his days have consisted of six hours of rehab a day - and no one out in New York is taking his presence for granted.
Six hours a day - that's a lot of ice baths, Novak.
Andy Murray's ranking has plummeted to... Wait for it...
378th (!) during his length injury lay-off, and his lack of matches means he's only here because of his 'protected' world ranking, which allows a player returning from a long-term injury to gain entry to a tournament based on previous form.
As well as preventing him from working as hard as he'd like - the Scot is known for pushing himself to his physical limits - it's stopped Murray from making any bold assertions about how well he'll do at this tournament.
He's whipped out the old "one match at a time" chestnut, but he's got a point: his victory over Australia's James Duckworth on Monday was his first appearance at a Grand Slam for 14 months.
Who, then, is Andy Murray up against?
It's Spanish 31st seed Fernando Verdasco, whom Murray has met 13 times before. Probably more, to be fair, if they move in the same circles, but you catch my drift.
Murray's record against Verdasco, three years the Scot's senior at 34, is almost without blemish: Murray has come out on top in 12 of the last 13 encounters.
Andy will probably be the first to admit he's struggling to play his best tennis given his hip injury. His movement has been inhibited, though he claims it's easier on hard courts as there's a smaller risk of slipping and his training hampered, but Verdasco was unmoved when asked if knowledge of Murray's injury would change his approach.
“I’m just thinking about the match, how to prepare and how to play,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to change just because he was injured. For me, it’s going to be one more match where I will go out to the court and try my best."
Would the Spaniard focus on trying to keep Murray moving around the court? “I try to do that every day – not because he was injured or not injured,” Verdasco said. “I think he will try to move me and I will try to move him."
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