WASHINGTON D.C., August 2, 2018 (News Wires) - Three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray collected the biggest victory of his injury comeback at the ATP and WTA Washington Open while defending champion Alexander Zverev booked a matchup with his older brother. Murray, sidelined by a right hip injury for 11 months until returning in June, ousted fourth seed Kyle Edmund 7-6 (7/4), 1-6, 6-4 in an all-British matchup to reach the third round of the hardcourt tuneup for the US Open. "That has been my best win since I started playing again," Murray said. "It's a great win for me. It'll give me more confidence going forward." World No 3 Zverev defeated Tunisia's Malek Jaziri 6-2, 6-1, to send the 21-year-old German top seed into his first ATP match against 30-year-old Mischa Zverev, the 15th seed who beat American Tim Smyczek 6-2, 7-6 (9/7). "We played the final of Wimbledon a lot of times in our backyard," Alex Zverev said. "I was 12. He was 22. I don't think I ever won. But this is on hardcourt." On a day when Australian Nick Kyrgios withdrew with a sore left hip, Murray stole the show with an impressive victory. "Hopefully my body will adapt to the matches and get back to what it's supposed to be doing," Murray said. "As the weeks progress, I hope to have more days like today where the pressure and the expectations all grow." Former world No 1 Murray, now ranked 832nd, outlasted his 18th-ranked rival, breaking on a forehand return winner to advance after two hours and 32 minutes. "Now I have to get my body to play that way consistently and work on getting better with every match," Murray said. The 31-year-old Scotsman, who unleashed a primal scream and flurry of fist pumps after winning his opener, wiped away sweat this time before eventually pointing to the heavens, punching the air with his right fist and pumping his fist with satisfaction. "Much better in terms of the way I played," Murray said. "Got a lot more points off my forehand. I was able to be more aggressive. I wanted to dictate more points and be inside the baseline, especially on the main points and particularly in the third set. "I was less nervous. I increased my intensity at the end of the second set. I thought I did that well." Meanwhile, Johanna Konta followed up her stunning victory over Serena Williams with another brisk triumph, downing US teenager Sofia Kenin 6-1, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals of the WTA hardcourt tournament in San Jose. Konta, who won her first WTA title at this event back in 2016, showed no sign of a let-down after handing 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams the most lopsided defeat of her career – 6-1, 6-0 on Tuesday. "I kind of approached today as a separate challenge," Konta said. "I just played the challenge of the day and the opponent that I had, and really just tried to do the best that I can with that." The tournament lost another big name when top-seeded Spaniard Garbine Muguruza pulled out of the tournament with a right arm injury, hours before she was to face former world No 1 Victoria Azarenka for a place in the quarters. The Spaniard, bounced from the second round in her title defense at Wimbledon, had been hoping to rebound on the hard courts of San Jose with the US Open looming in less than a month. "I've been feeling some pain in my right arm for a couple of days and realised I am not ready to play the match, so hopefully I can recover for the next tournaments," Muguruza said in a statement. For Konta, however, it was full speed ahead. The Briton needed just 70 minutes to dispatch Kenin, blasting 20 winners – including nine aces – with just 13 unforced errors. Kenin put up a determined defense, but 19 unforced errors proved too much to overcome and she was unable to convert either of her two break point opportunities. Konta, a former world No 4 now ranked 48th, next faces fourth-seeded Elise Mertens of Belgium for a place in the semifinals. Mertens reached the last eight with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over American wild card Ashley Kratzer.
