Liam Broady, the last Team GB singles player standing, pulled off the biggest win of his career by defeating Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, the world No 12, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the third round.
In a strong day for the remaining Britons, Andy Murray and Joe Salisbury beat Kevin Krawietz and Tim Putz of Germany 6-2, 7-6 (2) to reach the quarter-final in their debut tournament as a pair.
Broady found out he was heading to Tokyo last Friday after numerous withdrawals. Being called an Olympian alone was a distinction the 27-year-old had no reason to anticipate would come after his ranking was far below the entry list cut-off at the June deadline, but he has taken full advantage of the opportunity with two excellent wins.
“On paper, it’s my best win,” said Broady, who faces Jeremy Chardy next. “People don’t expect much of me. That works well, especially the last year as I have put results together. It is nice to get this result to show I am doing things right. The life of a professional tennis player is being ready for everything.”
Such a result has been coming from Broady, a player who has transformed himself during the pandemic, rising to a career-high ranking of 137 and demonstrating to himself and others that his game is capable of working on all levels.
For Murray and Salisbury, the victory was another strong performance after their first-round win on Saturday over the second seeds, Pierre Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut on Sunday, Murray was forced to withdraw on the morning of his match against Félix Auger-Aliassime due to a thigh injury: “There was just some stuff showing on the scans that made all the medical team a bit wary about it,” he said.
Despite his singles disappointment, Murray said he felt fine during the doubles win. When he decided to partner with Salisbury he said he had given him his word that if he felt any injury, he would prioritise doubles rather than also scuppering Salisbury’s Olympic dreams.
They face the tough Croatian pair of Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig next, one round away from competing for medals. So far, Murray’s decision is working out well for both.