Sir Andy Murray converted on his seventh match point to beat Mackenzie McDonald in three sets and set up a tie against fellow Brit Kyle Edmund at the Citi Open. The two-time Wimbledon champion toiled for more than two-and-a-half hours against world number 80 McDonald, eventually taking the match 3-6 6-4 7-5. McDonald, 23, broke two of Murray's opening three service games and wrapped up the first set 6-3 inside 40 minutes. Andy Murray returns at Citi Open Show all 8 1 /8 Andy Murray returns at Citi Open Andy Murray returns at Citi Open Andy Murray vs Mackenzie McDonald Andy Murray made his latest return to action at the Citi Open. AP Andy Murray returns at Citi Open Andy Murray vs Mackenzie McDonald Murray missed Wimbledon after deciding not to risk his fitness following 11 months out. Getty Images Andy Murray returns at Citi Open Andy Murray vs Mackenzie McDonald The Briton took on American Mackenzie McDonald in the first round. AP Andy Murray returns at Citi Open Andy Murray vs Mackenzie McDonald Murray was forced to fight from behind after losing the first set 6-3. AP Andy Murray returns at Citi Open Andy Murray vs Mackenzie McDonald Even an early shirt change couldn't spark Murray into life int he first set. Getty Images Andy Murray returns at Citi Open Andy Murray vs Mackenzie McDonald However, he came out firing in the second set to break McDonald and take it 6-4. Getty Images Andy Murray returns at Citi Open Andy Murray vs Mackenzie McDonald Murray roars with delight after clinching victory by taking the third set 7-5. AP Andy Murray returns at Citi Open Andy Murray vs Mackenzie McDonald Murray will face fellow Briton Kyle Edmund in the second round. Getty Images But Murray drew things level, taking a crucial game nine in the second for a 5-4 lead and serving out the set. A 73-minute deciding set followed, in which Murray took an early break and found himself 5-4 up and serving for the match. But McDonald saved five match points and converted his second break point to draw things level at 5-5. Murray broke back immediately for a 6-5 lead following a controversial call when McDonald's racket was adjudged to have crossed the plane of the net at 30-30. The former British number one then made no mistake in serving out the match. The 31-year-old skipped Wimbledon earlier this year and is playing in Washington as he continues his protracted recovery from long-term hip trouble. Andy Murray returned to action after missing Wimbledon earlier this month (AP) Murray had surgery on his right hip in January, only returning to action on June 18, facing Nick Kyrgios at Queen's. "It was a tough, tough match," Murray said on the ATP website. "It could have gone either way. Obviously, if you lose a match like that, it's a tough one. When I lost to (Teymuraz) Gabashvili here (three years ago), I lost serving for the match, so I was thinking about that a little bit, too. It is just nice to get through." Murray was forced to fight for more than two-and-a-half hours (Getty) (Getty Images) He added: "I wasn't dictating many of the points. I wasn't hitting the ball that cleanly. I just fought and tried to make it tough for him. "Made a few little adjustments here and there. But mentally, it was a big one to get through." He later overcame Stan Wawrinka at Eastbourne, only to lose in straight sets to Edmund two days later. PA<doc-sep>Andy Murray converted on his seventh match point to beat Mackenzie McDonald in three sets and set up a tie against fellow Brit Kyle Edmund at the Citi Open. The Scot tested his surgically repaired hip by putting aside a deficit and some real rust to win his first hard-court match in nearly 1 1/2 years, coming back for a 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory at the Citi Open against the 80th-ranked American. The match began after 10 pm on Monday because of a rain delay and ended at about 12.45 a.m. on Tuesday. There were stretches when Murray looked very much like exactly what he is at the moment: a guy working his back from an operation in January. Particularly when he was failing to convert any of the five match points he held while serving for the win at 5-4 in the final set. He won on his seventh, though, then let out a lengthy yell.<doc-sep>Last updated on .From the section Tennis Murray has fallen to 832nd in the world rankings because of his long injury lay-off Andy Murray feels he will be "starting from scratch again" when he faces Mackenzie McDonald in the Washington Open first round on Monday. The tournament will be the 31-year-old's third since having surgery in January, and his first on a hard court. Former world number one Murray pulled out of Wimbledon in July as he said it was "too soon" to play five-set matches in his comeback from hip surgery. "I haven't been in this position since I was kind of 18," said Briton Murray. "It sort of feels like I am starting from scratch again. It's going to be hard but it should be fun. "I feel better than I did during the grass [tournaments]. I've had another four weeks training and feel pretty good." Murray - now ranked 832nd in the world - will face American McDonald after 19:00 local time (00:00 BST). If he wins, will play fellow Briton Kyle Edmund in the second round. The Scot had hip surgery in January, having been out of action since Wimbledon in 2017, and has only played three ATP Tour matches since his operation. He made his return in June at Queen's, where he lost to Nick Kyrgios, and then played at Eastbourne, beating Stan Wawrinka before going out to Edmund. Murray was last week awarded a wildcard for the Cincinnati Open next month as he tries to build up his match fitness before the US Open, which begins on 27 August. Also in action in Washington is British number two Katie Boulter, who faces Serbian fifth seed Aleksandra Krunic in the first round of the women's tournament. She is joined in the main draw by qualifier and fellow Briton Harriet Dart, who will play sixth seed Belinda Bencic of Switzerland. In the men's doubles, Jamie Murray and Brazilian Bruno Soares are seeded fourth and take on Karen Khachanov and Lucas Pouille in the first round.<doc-sep>Andy Murray was playing in his first hard-court match in 16 months Britain's Andy Murray beat Mackenzie McDonald 3-6 6-4 7-5 in the Washington Open's first round in his fourth match following hip surgery in January. Murray, 31, converted his seventh match point after more than two-and-a-half hours on court against the American. "Mentally, it was a big one to get through," said former world number one Murray. "I fought hard and I had to. The movements and stuff were fine." He will now play fellow Briton Kyle Edmund, 23, in the second round. Edmund beat Murray at Eastbourne in the third match of his return during the grass-court season before the Scotsman pulled out of Wimbledon as he felt it was "too soon" to play five-set matches following his rehabilitation. "I'll have to play much better if I want to win that match, more aggressively," Murray said. "It will help having one more match under my belt." Murray had been out of action since Wimbledon 2017 before having his operation at the start of this year. After the Citi Open in Washington he also hopes to play Masters-level events in Toronto and Cincinnati in preparation for the US Open. 'I enjoyed getting through that one' He was broken in two of his first three service games on the way to losing the opening set in 40 minutes against 23-year-old McDonald, who is ranked 80th in the world. In the second set, Murray, whose own world ranking has dropped to 832, broke in the ninth game to take a 5-4 lead and served out to take the match to a decider. He was then 5-4 up and serving for the match in the third set but McDonald saved five match points then converted his second break point to draw level at 5-5. But Murray immediately broke back - in a game that included a controversial call when McDonald's racket was adjudged to have crossed the plane of the net with the score 30-30 - before serving out to win a 73-minute set and reach the second round. "I enjoyed getting through that one. You could see it in the celebration," Murray said. "That was a tough match. It could have gone either way. It was nice to win it." Serve clock a 'positive change' The match was Murray's first on a hard court since March 2017 at Indian Wells and his first experience with a serve clock, which will be used at the US Open from 27 August. "I hadn't played in darkness or under the lights in a really long time and I felt my rhythm was off," Murray said. "I was struggling on my serve. I cut the unforced errors a little bit in the second set and started serving better." The serve clock, which was used at the 2018 Australian Open, allows players 25 seconds to start their service motion from the moment the umpire announces the score after the previous point. He added: "Without a shot clock, that would have been a three-hour match. It's a positive change for tennis." Meanwhile, three-time Grand Slam champion Murray has signed up to play in the China Open at the beginning of October.<doc-sep>
Andy Murray beats Mackenzie McDonald in first match since withdrawing from Wimbledon Andy Murray converted on his seventh match point to beat Mackenzie McDonald in three sets and set up a second-round tie against fellow Brit Kyle Edmund at the Citi Open. McDonald, 23, broke two of Murray's opening three service games and wrapped up the first set 6-3 inside 40 minutes. But Murray drew things level, taking a crucial game nine in the second for a 5-4 lead and serving out the set. A 73-minute deciding set followed, in which Murray took an early break and found himself 5-4 up and serving for the match. But McDonald saved five match points and converted his second break point to draw things level at 5-5. Murray broke back immediately for a 6-5 lead following a controversial call when McDonald's racket was adjudged to have crossed the plane of the net at 30-30. The former British No 1 then made no mistake in serving out the match. "It was a tough, tough match," Murray told the ATP Tour website. "It could have gone either way. Obviously, if you lose a match like that, it's a tough one. "When I lost to (Teymuraz) Gabashvili here (three years ago), I lost serving for the match, so I was thinking about that a little bit, too. It is just nice to get through. "I wasn't dictating many of the points. I wasn't hitting the ball that cleanly. I just fought and tried to make it tough for him. "Made a few little adjustments here and there. But mentally, it was a big one to get through." The 31-year-old skipped Wimbledon earlier this year and is playing in Washington as he continues his protracted recovery from long-term hip trouble. Murray had surgery on his right hip in January, only returning to action on June 18, facing Nick Kyrgios at Queen's. He later overcame Stan Wawrinka at Eastbourne, only to lose in straight sets to Edmund two days later. We have the US hardcourts covered from all angles via our websiteskysports.com/tennis. On the move? Head to our app for mobile devices and iPad, or follow our Twitter account @SkySportsTennis to join in the conversation. Never miss the big kick-off or have to deal with interrupted games or low-quality streams with a NOW TV Sky Sports Pass this summer. You'll get exclusive coverage of the Ryder Cup, ATP Tour and loads more, starting from just £7.99. No contract.