Andy Murray battles into China Open last eight

BEIJING – Andy Murray won two ATP Tour singles matches in a row for the first time since major hip surgery to battle into the China Open quarterfinals on Wednesday (Thursday, Manila time).

The former world number one outlasted fellow Briton Cameron Norrie 7-6 (8/6), 6-7 (4/7), 6-1 over nearly three gruelling hours and will play top seed Dominic Thiem or Chinese wildcard Zhang Zhizhen next.

The 32-year-old Murray, now ranked a lowly 503, is stepping up his comeback from a career-saving operation in January — and was at his vintage fighting best here.

On Tuesday, in hot and hazy Beijing, he defeated US Open semifinalist Matteo Berrettini for his biggest scalp since his return to singles tennis in mid-August.

The three-time Grand Slam winner says he no longer has pain in his hip and it is a matter now of building up fitness so he can play several matches in a row at tournaments.