Andy Murray books safe passage into Australian Open second round

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/jan/19/australian-open-andy-murray-first-round

Version 0 of 1.

The self-doubt that held Andy Murray in check here a year ago, when Roger Federer put him out in the quarter-finals, was a distant memory on the first day of the 2015 Australian Open.

The Scot, finally back to full health, moved smoothly into a second round meeting with Marinko Matosevic with some occasionally brilliant tennis to beat the gifted young Indian Yuki Bhambri in just over two hours, nearly half of that in a tough third set when he was pushed to the limit.

Murray knew before he stepped on to the Margaret Court Arena that Bhambri – the 2009 boys champion here and a former junior world No 1 – was no Bambi. The three-time finalist, seeded sixth, was happy with his own performance but said Bhambri, whose 317 ranking owes much to a long spell out with injury in 2014, gave him plenty to think about.

“There’s no way, he’s going to finish the year ranked in the 300s,” Murray said of the player ranked lowest in this field after winning 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3) in a match that was no way as straightforward as the score suggests. “He made it difficult all the way through,” Murray said. “It’s a good time to be playing tennis, with so many good young players coming through.

“It was a tricky match. He played very close to the baseline on that court. I feel it’s quicker than Rod Laver [Arena] and Hisense [Arena]. He was coming forward a lot. Even when I was hitting good returns, he was changing the direction of the ball very quickly and coming to the net. He played well up at the net. He had good hands, solid volleys and made it tough.”

Murray’s serve, excellent overall with 13 aces and no double faults, dipped alarmingly in the third stanza as Bhambri went 4-1 up. At that point, Murray was struggling to convert even half his first serves, but he rediscovered his game as his opponent wilted under the intensity of his shot-making. By the time Murray had won his 100thpoint of the match, Bhambri was 23 short of that mark.

On Show Court 3 Matosevic, who has not won a set against Murray in three encounters, took nearly three-and-a-half hours to beat the Russian qualifier Alexander Kudryavtsev 6-4, 6-7 (5), 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, a typical fighting effort from the man who hates being called Mad Dog.

“I’m sure it will be a good atmosphere,” said Murray of a match that might well be the feature night event on Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday. “I know Marinko very well. I get on well with him. He hasn’t won any grand slam match since the French Open last year but I think he’s starting to relax and loosen up. He’s a good ball striker, big guy, serves well. He works extremely hard, has a good work ethic. It should be a fun match.”

There is no ill-feeling between Murray and Matosevic, even though the straight-talking Australian said after the Scot appointed Amelie Mauresmo as his coach last summer, “I couldn’t do it, since I don’t think that highly of the women’s game.”

After his win on Monday, Matosevic recalled, “I’ve played him [Murray] three times, twice on Tour, once in the Hopman Cup. He beat me pretty easily, although I had three-all, love-40. We’ve practised a bunch of times. I’ve seen him play a million times on TV. I know what I’m going to get. I just have to focus on myself. I guess I got to know him when [Ivan] Lendl was coaching him, and with Tony Roche at practice. We had some fun times.

“He’s one of the best players in the world, unbelievable physically. His skill level is probably second only to Roger [Federer]. He’s just a good guy. He treats everyone the same. That said, I would rather not play him second round. I’d love to play him later on.”

There were several high-quality exchanges early in Murray’s match as the lean, quick Indian (who mimicked a delightful cover-drive between games in the third set) occasionally unsettled with deft drop shots and lobs.

A couple of cracking aces in the first three games suggested Murray might overwhelm his opponent but Bhambri showed his class with quick switches of direction and depth, forcing Murray to reassess.

Murray needed another couple of aces at the start of the second to save break point, before slowly breaking down Bhambri’s resistance with the sheer power of his shot-making. A running forehand down the line left the Indian player standing in the 10th game, as Murray served out to 15.

But the third was an altogether more tense affair, as Murray’s concentration wandered before he recovered to seal what was a satisfying opening to the tournament.

“I thought I served well,” Murray said of his late struggle. “I just got caught a few times the first shot after the serve. I could have been a little bit better with my first shot after the return. I don’t know if that was something to do with me feeling like the court was a bit quicker. I felt a little bit rushed there.”

And as for Bhambri, Murray predicted he would have a very good year. “I’ve never seen him train or anything. But he’s way better than [his ranking]. He missed five or six months last year through injury. I would imagine by the end of this year he would definitely be around 100 in the world if he stays injury-free.”