We assess Andy Murray's victory over Thomaz Bellucci at the US Open
Sunday 6 September 2015 14:46, UK
Simple, efficient and swift was what Andy Murray needed after the excursions of his previous two rounds and he did exactly that as he brushed aside the challenge of Brazil's Thomaz Bellucci to reach the last 16 at the US Open.
The British No 1 showed plenty of passion, vigour and mental strength to come through 6-3 6-2 7-5 in an impressive display in the Saturday night match on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Murray, who won his first major at the 2012 US Open, had fought back from two sets down to beat Adrian Mannarino in the second round after needing four sets to beat Australian showman Nick Kyrgios in his opening match.
He produced a real upgrade of power on both flanks and was clearly thrilled with his display against the southpaw as he looks to equal his best performance at Flushing Meadows by winning the title once again.
A routine win on a cool, comfortable night after a week of stifling heat gave Murray, who has also battled a head cold, the last berth in the fourth round and should prime the Scotsman for the pressures of the later stages at the year's last major.
We look back at his impressive display against Bellucci and what to expect from his next opponent Kevin Anderson in the fourth round.
Helpful conditions
The slower court conditions on Ashe not only helped Murray return pretty much everything but also proved tougher for the server.
Bellucci, the world No 30, has never been past the second round in this tournament before but he had beaten Murray in their single previous meeting, albeit on clay in 2011.
And although there were a lot more rallies, Murray made breaks at key points during the contest to exact revenge.
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"Conditions were so much nicer to play in today," the world No 3 said. "Like after long rallies, you weren't really struggling for breath as much.
"The first couple rounds, it really doesn't get much harder than that. Maybe it will get bad again, but they're some of the toughest conditions you'll play in during the year.
"To get through those matches, especially the second one, was important."
As for the quality of his tennis, Murray said: "I felt like I played well. In these conditions, it's a bit easier to control the ball. The ball was not bouncing as high. It was a bit flatter.
"It was much slower conditions to serve in. So less aces. The speed of the serve was a bit lower," he added. "But then obviously returning is a little bit easier."
Improvement on forehand side
In a highly enjoyable first set, Murray hit an impressive 13 winners compared to 11 from Bellucci - a vast difference to his previous match against Mannarino where he struggled to assert his authority.
The 28-year-old showed great guile to fight back from a break down and seal the set with a fine piece of recovery - which saved him time in the night sky.
He hit five forehand winners which was one of the key statistics in the set having struggled so badly against Frenchman Mannarino in the previous round.
Murray was liking his chances of victory having won 50 straight matches in 2015 when he won the opening set.
Ball tracking
Murray's ability to track the ball down is as good as anyone in the game. Sometimes he looks to be so out of position, but still manages to find the acceleration to retrieve pretty much any type of shot.
The hard work he puts in with fitness coach Matt Little has helped him build his speed and power which pays off in a big way when it comes to competitive action.
The Scot was perfect on net points won in the second set - six out of six - and struck more winners than he made errors - managing his tennis well on his way to victory.
Conserving energy
Murray will be thrilled to finish the job in double-quick time in order to help him conserve energy for the last 16 tussle against Kevin Anderson.
Bellucci was going toe-to-toe with his opponent from the baseline, where his whipped forehands found great depth and angle, but when the points became more varied Murray proved too quick in thought and execution.
Murray showed few signs of weakness, breaking Bellucci's serve five times during the match and dropping his own just once, early in the first set.
The Scot was typically tenacious in his defence and too quick in attack as Bellucci struggled to cope with his opponent's touch and creativity.
There was to be no late drama in New York as Murray broke at 5-5 in the third set and served out a comfortable victory in two hours and 11 minutes.
The third seed is making his 11th straight appearance at the US Open and now holds an impressive 153-36 record in Grand Slam tournaments.
Mr Anderson next
Murray boasts a strong record against Anderson having won five of their previous six encounters, including a straight-sets win in the final at Queen's in June.
The big-serving South African has never made it past the third round in New York but is in good form after winning the Winston-Salem Open last week and beating highly-rated Austrian Dominic Thiem in round three.
"I played some good matches against him in the past," Murray said. "I only lost to him once in Montreal. It was a very quick, easy match.
"I lost to him there but apart from that, I've normally played quite well against him.
"He's obviously playing some good stuff. He won the tournament last week. He's had a couple of good wins here."
He also stretched Novak Djokovic to five sets at Wimbledon in July and the 29-year-old may herald the start of a fiendish run for Murray, possibly preceding Stan Wawrinka and Roger Federer, before Novak Djokovic in the final.
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