That the match was close for a straight-setter had as much to do with Nadal’s 35 unforced errors as Phau’s attacking style.

The win was a fitting close to nearly eight decades of British frustration in its own backyard: A straight-setter, but a hard-fought, 3-hour, 9-minute affair filled with long, punishing rallies and a final game that may have felt like another 77 years, with Murray squandering three match points before finally putting it away after four deuces.