Second seed Andy Murray required two hours to dismiss Germany’s Alexander Zverev 6-1,6-2,6-3 in the first round of the Australian Open.
It was their second encounter of the year for the two after Murray defeated Zverev in straight sets two weeks ago at the Hopman Cup. The world No.2 has previously stated that he is aware of how much of a threat the German can be, however, he was in little trouble again the world No.83 in Melbourne.
Murray began his dominance in the match during the fourth game when he successfully converted his first break point to lead 3-1.In contrast Zverev started with a few big serves along with an untimely nosebleed, which required some medical attention. The Brit continued his dominance in the opening set against the much more inexperienced player by grabbing another break before claiming the opening set after 36 minutes.
Leading by a set, Murray continued his offensive into the second set when he grabbed another early break to move ahead 2-0. The second set score might appear straightforward, but Murray was at times troubled by the 18-year-old. The Brit faced five break points during two of his service games, successfully fending all of them off with the help of some outstanding defense as well as the series of unforced errors from his opponent. This was the biggest difference between the two men on the court, Murray’s ability to break compared to his opponent.
The Pattern continued in the third set with the Brit breaking at the start. Zverev had another chance in the following game to break back, but he was once again denied by Murray. Closing out the match was no issue for the Brit, who dropped only three points during his three final service games. The victory was sealed for Murray when a forehand from Zverev resulted in the ball hitting the net.
In his opening triumph at Melbourne, Murray produced 28 winners and 20 unforced errors compared to Zverev’s 23 and 43. Despite the straightforward win, Murray admitted that he is wasn’t happy with how he finished the match.
“I think I could have done a little bit better job of closing the match out a little bit sooner, because I did have chances to go up a double break”. Murray said.
“I played well. I played a good match. Just could have, you know, been a bit more efficient in the third set, I think”.
Murray also spoke about the future potential of Zverev. The 18-year-old achieved a ranking high of 74 last year and has won two Challenger titles.
“He’s (Zverev) quite different to a lot of the other ones. He’s much, much taller, you know, which has it’s benefits”. The world No.2 said.
Murray also discussed the downside of Zverev’s height, saying that it might take him longer to develop on the tour.
Awaiting Murray in the second round will be Australia’s Sam Groth. The world No.66 edged out France’s Adrian Mannarino in four sets. It will be the first meeting between the two men on the tour. The world No.2 has a dominating record against Australian players on the tour with a win-loss of 15-0.
