Andy Murray defeated Andrey Rublev in the Australian Open second round
Thursday 19 January 2017 06:58, UK
Andy Murray breezed into the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday, beating qualifier Andrey Rublev in straight sets.
The world No 1 prevailed 6-3 6-0 6-2 against Rublev, the ATP's 152nd ranked player, to continue his smooth start to the first Grand Slam of the year.
Russia's 19-year-old Rublev initially began powerfully but Murray broke for 4-2 in the first set, and never looked back.
The unforced errors began creeping in for Rublev and Murray, without having to move up a gear, coasted to six consecutive games to whitewash the second set, highlighted by a masterful drop shot that drew audible gasps from the crowd.
Rublev stopped the rot by edging the most exciting rally of the match as the third set began but it was short-lived. Murray, in no mood to exert himself beyond the necessary, turned the screw and reeled off five games in a row.
Rublev showed no signs of quit, hitting an ace to limit the damage, but Murray's path into the next round was largely unobstructed.
There was a slight concern for Murray after he required minor treatment on his ankle in the third set, but the Scot moved quickly afterwards to dispel fears his tournament may be affected.
"I could put weight on it. It's just a bit sore - I'm sure it'll be fine," said Murray.
He will next play Sam Querrey, the big-serving American best known for eliminating Novak Djokovic at last summer's Wimbledon.
Follow game-by-game updates from Andy Murray's matches at the 2017 Australian Open in our blog on skysports.com/tennis, our app for mobile devices and iPad or our Twitter account @skysportstennis.
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