Andy Murray’s bid for a second grand slam title of the season has got off to a flying start after he brushed aside Lukas Rosol 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, in the first round of the US Open.
Entering New York this week, Murray has been the in-form player on the tour after losing just one match in his four previous tournaments. He was able to live up to the hype by dismissing Rosol without facing a single break point. Serving at an average of 107mph, the world No.2 dropped just seven points on his first serve to ease to the victory.
Playing on the premier court in New York, Murray admitted that it took him time to adjust to the electric atmosphere at the 23,771 capacity Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“The arena, it’s quite different playing out there now. It’s a lot louder than most places that we play, so you don’t hear the ball as much.” Murray said.
“There’s a slightly different sound in there. Once I got through that, I settled down and played, you know, I think a really good match.”
After enduring such a hectic summer schedule, the world No.2 openly admitted that he struggled to find a balance between work and rest leading up to the US Open. Within two months Murray has won 22 matches in three different continents.
“It’s tough to get the balance totally right the last week because I wanted to get used to the conditions but also didn’t want to spend so much time on the court that I came in feeling tired, because it could have been quite easy to do that.” He said.
Murray is the fifth British player to progress to the second round, joining Dan Evans, Johanna Konta, Kyle Edmund and Naomi Broady. It is the first time that five British players have reached the last 64 since 1987.
In the next round Murray will play Spain’s Marcel Granollers, who dismissed Argentina’s Juan Monaco in straight sets during his opening round.
