Andy Murray delayed his retirement once more after he and Dan Evans edged another thrilling encounter against Belgium's Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen at the Paris Olympics.
The British duo saved match points again to emerge victorious in a gripping tie-break, prevailing 6-3 6-7 (10-8) 11-9 at Roland-Garros.
Murray and Evans flew out the blocks in the opening exchanges, racing into a three-game lead early on before seeing out the first set in comfortable fashion.
But their Belgian opponents fought back strongly in the second set and looked in a strong position to level the match, only for Evans' individual close-net brilliance to level the set.
For the second match in a row, Murray’s career hinged on a first-to-10-point match tie-break, with the British duo showing their powers of recovery once more after saving two match points.
After missing two match points in the second-set tie-break, the Team GB duo would make no mistake this time around as Evans completed another miracle escape with a volley at the net that left Murray in tears shortly after.
They will take on either American third seeds Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz or Dutch duo Robin Haase and Jean-Julien Rojer in the next round.
Data Debrief: Murray's farewell tour continues
In yet another enthralling match involving Murray and Evans, the pairs resilience once again shone through at Roland-Garros to keep the Scot's hopes of a third gold medal alive.
The pair saved all three of the break points they faced, but were also equally impressive on serve as they won 57 of their 79 first serve points.
No pressure: T&T's Leah Bertrand cool, calm, collected ahead of Olympic Games debut in Paris
For many athletes, the Olympic Games represent the pinnacle of their careers. Trinidad and Tobago’s rising sprint sensation, Leah Bertrand, is no different, but her approach is refreshingly composed.
Though it will be her first outing at the global multi-sport showpiece, Bertrand is managing the excitement and weight of expectations with remarkable calmness and confidence as she prepares to grace the track in the women’s 100m in Paris on Friday.
“Not really (feeling any pressure). I try not to let the pressure get to me. I just trust my training and the process and go out with the best mentality as possible. I feel like if I was supposed to focus on the pressure, I wouldn’t be able to go out and perform as well as I need to, but with that said, I feel the responsibility to do well, so I use that as motivation,” Bertrand told SportsMax.Tv.
With the pressure off, Bertrand, who celebrated her 22nd birthday on the day of the Games’ opening ceremony, pointed out that she is focused on possibly breaking the elusive 11-second barrier and potentially clinching a medal.
The Ohio State University senior, who won the women’s 100m at Trinidad and Tobago’s National Championships, has been flirting with the feat so far this season. She clocked a wind-aided 11.05s in June and, prior to that, stopped the clock at 11.09s in May, just outside her personal best of 11.08s.
“I feel good, so I believe I can break the 11-second barrier. I think it is time. I have been on the verge of it at 11.0 for a while now, so I want to get it done now,” she declared.
“I think I had a good season this year. I am healthy, thank God, so going into these Olympic Games, I feel very confident. The mentality is to compete, and once I do that, I feel like I can get through the rounds, get to the finals, medal, and represent Trinidad and Tobago well,” Bertrand added.
While she knows that the competition will be fierce, with the world's fastest women vying for glory, Bertrand, a two-time NACAC Under-23 medallist remains undaunted.
“Every time I run, the aim is to do better than the last time to get a PB, but I am not stressing on the time. I am going in to compete, and the time will come as long as I am running up with everybody else. I will be good,” she noted.
“I think it (getting the personal best and medal) is a mental thing; physically, I am ready, so I just have to believe I can do it. I think that is the only thing blocking me now. This is the Olympics, so the standard is high, but, with that being said, I can’t let the pressure get to me. If it was any other meet, at the end of the day, even though it’s a high level, I can’t put it higher than it needs to be because then the pressure would get to me,” Bertrand explained.
By all indications, Bertrand's preparation for the Olympics has been nothing short of rigorous. Like the plethora of stars that will be on show in Paris, she has been fine-tuning her technique, working on her explosive starts, and building the mental toughness required to compete at the highest level.
Leah Bertrand (second left) with teammates during the World Relays in the Bahamas.
“In practice, I tend to be more serious and focused on how I can improve because practice is the one time I really need to focus on what I need to do. Now my practice is more quality than quantity, so I am really focused on what I have to do,” she shared.
Much of Bertrand's drive comes from the support of her family and, by extension, the entire nation of Trinidad and Tobago.
No doubt the Twin Island Republic, a small nation with a proud sporting history, will be watching closely as Bertrand and her 16 other compatriots parade their athletic prowess across various disciplines, pushing for performances that will be a source of immense pride and inspiration.
“It has been great and overwhelming, actually, because everybody has been wishing me good luck and on my side, so I know I have the support I need to go and do well. I want the public to hold us accountable as we continue working towards being the best representation for our country,” Bertrand ended.
'We had something to prove,' says Biles following Paris Olympics success
Simone Biles insisted she had "something to prove" at the Paris Olympics after inspiring the United States to victory in the women's team gymnastics event.
Biles claimed her fifth Olympic gold medal, her first since Rio 2016, after suffering from the 'twisties' in Tokyo four years ago.
Along with team-mates Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Sunisa Lee, and Hezly Rivera, Team USA finished ahead of Italy and Brazil with a score of 171.296.
Team USA recorded the highest score on all four rotations and retained their crown as Olympic champions after settling for silver in Japan after Biles withdrew to protect her mental and physical health.
The Americans previously won team gold at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics and have won every team World Championship since 2011.
Biles delivered excellent performances on the bars and beam routines before a floor display that sealed the gold medal, something the 23-time world champion had set her sights on four years ago.
"I think we all had something to prove from Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and tonight we did just that," Biles said.
"It means the world. This was our goal going in, even though we didn't share it with everybody because it's just a personal thing that we were working on.
"But I think for everybody it's what we came here to do. And we're super excited to walk away with that gold medal."
Biles further cemented her legacy as one of the greatest athletes of all time, moving up to the top five among gymnasts with the most Olympic golds.
She also became the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history with eight medals, surpassing USA great Shannon Miller.
Biles has four more finals still to come, with her next opportunity coming on Thursday in the all-around final, followed by the vault final on Saturday and the floor and beam finals on Monday.
'I had something to prove,' says Biles following Paris Olympics success
Simone Biles insisted she had "something to prove" at the Paris Olympics after inspiring the United States to victory in the women's team gymnastics event.
Biles claimed her fifth Olympic gold medal, her first since Rio 2016, after suffering from the 'twisties' in Tokyo four years ago.
Along with teammates Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Sunisa Lee, and Hezly Rivera, Team USA finished ahead of Italy and Brazil with a score of 171.296.
Team USA recorded the highest score on all four rotations and retained their crown as Olympic champions after settling for silver in Japan after Biles withdrew to protect her mental and physical health.
The Americans previously won team gold at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics and have won every team World Championship since 2011.
Biles delivered excellent performances on the bars and beam routines before a floor display that sealed the gold medal, something the 23-time world champion had set her sights on four years ago.
"I think we all had something to prove from Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and tonight we did just that," Biles said.
"It means the world. This was our goal going in, even though we didn't share it with everybody because it's just a personal thing that we were working on.
"But I think for everybody it's what we came here to do. And we're super excited to walk away with that gold medal."
Biles further cemented her legacy as one of the greatest athletes of all time, moving up to the top five among gymnasts with the most Olympic golds.
She also became the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history with eight medals, surpassing USA great Shannon Miller.
Biles has four more finals still to come, with her next opportunity coming on Thursday in the all-around final, followed by the vault final on Saturday and the floor and beam finals on Monday.
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