Andy Murray defied chronic back pain that from day one has threatened to derail not only his French Open campaign but may yet undermine his entire summer and advanced to the third round with an heroic, almost perverse, victory over Jarkko Nieminen.
He beat the 48th-ranked Finn 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 in two hours and 27 minutes on Thursday and, providing he is fit, plays the Colombian Santiago Giraldo on Saturday. On paper it is a straightforward match for the world No 4, although he might not know until shortly beforehand if he is fit enough to carry on in the tournament.
Indeed, it might be sensible to stop now. His chances of winning the title, never strong, are diminished, and he risks doing damage ahead of Wimbledon and the Olympic Games.
"I don't know how I won, to be honest," he said. "I had a bit of spasm, it hurt when I got up this morning and it was really bad 20 minutes after practice. I couldn't put any weight on my left leg.
"The guys were telling me to stop after the first set, and we spoke about it before the match [the possibility of retiring during play]. I just decided to play on. I felt a bit bitter, probably end of the second set. I thought, let's give it a go, chasing a few balls down. It's still fairly sore."
Murray might yet wonder if punishing his body in the early rounds is the best way to manage what is clearly a long-term injury that requires extended rest.
That said, this was one of his finest victories, where his mind dragged his body from the edge of defeat after only 10 minutes to a triumph which left his opponent utterly spent and confused.
Something similar happened here a year ago, when Murray turned his ankle against Michael Berrer, and Berrer later admitted that the situation "was making me so tight I couldn't really focus or think clearly".
Once Murray's legs began to move, he actually found himself striking the ball very well, even if it was difficult to change direction on the slippery clay. He won the last four games of the second set, then raced through the third in just 30 minutes. For all the early drama of the match, it turned into something of a towelling for Nieminen, and the final duration of 2hrs 27 minutes makes it sound almost routine.
It was a fine recovery from Murray, and it showed great reserves of courage, but the ITV commentator Jim Courier questioned whether it was the right decision to carry on.
"He's going to face a challenge in 45 minutes when the adrenaline wears off," said Courier at the end of the match. "I still believe he should have walked off the court, given the big picture.
"Winning this match doesn't do anything for his long-term chances to win this tournament. Physically he needs to be at 100 per cent health for what's ahead of him, not only this tournament but Wimbledon, the Olympics and the US Open.
"Coming into this tournament with a core problem, you get respect for keeping going, but in the long term you need rest. I've had a lower back problem and it doesn't help when you're turning and twisting and torquing your body.
"It needs solving and I don't know how he's going to solve it by doing this.
He beat the 48th-ranked Finn 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 in two hours and 27 minutes on Thursday and, providing he is fit, plays the Colombian Santiago Giraldo on Saturday. On paper it is a straightforward match for the world No 4, although he might not know until shortly beforehand if he is fit enough to carry on in the tournament.
Indeed, it might be sensible to stop now. His chances of winning the title, never strong, are diminished, and he risks doing damage ahead of Wimbledon and the Olympic Games.
"I don't know how I won, to be honest," he said. "I had a bit of spasm, it hurt when I got up this morning and it was really bad 20 minutes after practice. I couldn't put any weight on my left leg.
"The guys were telling me to stop after the first set, and we spoke about it before the match [the possibility of retiring during play]. I just decided to play on. I felt a bit bitter, probably end of the second set. I thought, let's give it a go, chasing a few balls down. It's still fairly sore."
Murray might yet wonder if punishing his body in the early rounds is the best way to manage what is clearly a long-term injury that requires extended rest.
That said, this was one of his finest victories, where his mind dragged his body from the edge of defeat after only 10 minutes to a triumph which left his opponent utterly spent and confused.
Something similar happened here a year ago, when Murray turned his ankle against Michael Berrer, and Berrer later admitted that the situation "was making me so tight I couldn't really focus or think clearly".
Once Murray's legs began to move, he actually found himself striking the ball very well, even if it was difficult to change direction on the slippery clay. He won the last four games of the second set, then raced through the third in just 30 minutes. For all the early drama of the match, it turned into something of a towelling for Nieminen, and the final duration of 2hrs 27 minutes makes it sound almost routine.
It was a fine recovery from Murray, and it showed great reserves of courage, but the ITV commentator Jim Courier questioned whether it was the right decision to carry on.
"He's going to face a challenge in 45 minutes when the adrenaline wears off," said Courier at the end of the match. "I still believe he should have walked off the court, given the big picture.
"Winning this match doesn't do anything for his long-term chances to win this tournament. Physically he needs to be at 100 per cent health for what's ahead of him, not only this tournament but Wimbledon, the Olympics and the US Open.
"Coming into this tournament with a core problem, you get respect for keeping going, but in the long term you need rest. I've had a lower back problem and it doesn't help when you're turning and twisting and torquing your body.
"It needs solving and I don't know how he's going to solve it by doing this.
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