Andy Murray beats Brandon Nakashima to make winning return at Citi Open after Wimbledon disappointment

Andy Murray marked his first singles appearance since Wimbledon with an impressive 7-6(5) 6-4 win over Brandon Nakashima to claim his place in the second round of the Citi Open in Washington.

A runner-up in this event in 2006, Murray delighted the crowd with an array of sublime shots on the backhand and serve, all while displaying his usual battling qualities.

It will have been a poignant victory for Murray five years after he broke down in tears in Washington following a marathon victory over Marius Copil, before eventually pulling out ahead of his then quarter-final against Alex de Minaur.

There wasn’t much between Murray and Nakashima in the early stages on Wednesday, but two beautiful drop shots in the fifth game suggested the Scot was finding his rhythm.

And when the first set was inevitably decided on a tie-break – given how comfortably both players were holding serve – Murray’s class shone through as he fought back in typical fashion by taking five consecutive points after being 5-2 down to secure the set in one hour and 12 minutes.

With the momentum on his side, Murray earned a first break point in the opening game of the second set, which he converted with a blistering backhand.

Remarkably, having not faced a break point in the first set, Murray faced five in his first two service games of the second, all of which he saved as he raced into a 3-1 lead.

Taking a leaf out of Murray’s book, Nakashima fended off a break point to reduce the deficit and stay on the three-time Grand Slam winner’s coat-tails, taking the game to make it 5-4.

Nakashima was a break point away from levelling the set at 5-5, but Murray dug in to clinch the victory in style as he marched into the next round with his first win in this competition since that fateful night in 2018.

Indeed, Murray may sense an opportunity in Washington following the withdrawals of Daniil Medvedev and defending champion Nick Kyrgios.

He is using the tournament as preparation for the US Open, which begins on August 28, and he is also expected to play the back-to-back ATP Masters 1000 events in Toronto and Cincinnati.