Britain’s Andy Murray showed all of his quality and fight to edge past Frances Tiafoe in a thrilling European Open first-round match in Antwerp.

Murray saved two match points before taking a second of his own to win 7-6 (7-2) 6-7 (7-9) 7-6 (10-8) in a tense and pulsating three hours 45 minutes battle.

The 34-year-old Scot, came from two breaks down – and a set point – to win the opener before his American opponent hit back.

Momentum fluctuated in the deciding tie-break but Murray edged home.

In a mark of their mutual respect, the pair enjoyed a warm hug at the net before Murray stopped his post-match interview to heartily clap his opponent off the court.

Murray will now face Argentine second seed Diego Schwartzman, who received a first-round bye, in the second round on Thursday.

The three-time Grand Slam champion has dropped to 172nd in the world after his points for winning this event in 2019 – which came just nine months after he had major surgery to leave him with a metal hip – coming off the rankings.

But Murray again showed against Tiafoe – a former Australian Open quarter-finalist now ranked 48th – why he still believes he can win more titles on the ATP Tour.