Andy Murray fought back from a set down to beat David Nalbandian and move into the third round of the Paris Masters.
British number one recovers from slow start to see off Nalbandian
Andy Murray fought back from a set down to beat David Nalbandian and move into the third round of the Paris Masters.
The Scot was caught cold at the start of the match as his opponent dominated proceedings both from the back of the court and up at the net.
Opting to change his tactics after losing a one-sided first set, Murray played his way back into the match as he looked to dictate from the net whenever possible.
It paid dividends as he pinched a tight second set and he finished strongly in the decider to triumph 2-6 6-4 6-3.
"Yeah, it was very difficult," he told
Sky Sports afterwards. "I had to change my game completely.
"I had to serve and volley pretty much the whole of the second set because I couldn't win a point from the back of the court - he was moving me around everywhere.
"Maybe it's something I need to look to do more often.
"I think I served and volleyed really well today. I was hitting my second serve 165-180 kmph which is big and on a surface like this it works.
"At the end of the first set I knew I needed to change something as it really wasn't going well at all."
Injury scare
There was a brief scare for the Scot midway through the third set as he was forced to call the trainer to look at a wrist injury, but it appeared a passing problem as he regrouped to win in convincing style.
"I felt quite a sharp pain in my wrist and I've had a few problems with it in the past so I got a little bit scared when I felt something," he added.
"But at the end of the match it felt ok, although I guess we'll see when I cool down whether it's anything to worry about."
Like many players this week, Murray initially struggled to come to terms with the speed of the court in Paris.
In contrast, Nalbandian - who beat Marcel Granollers in his first match on the surface on Tuesday - looked instantly at home as he outmanoeuvred and overpowered his rival with some precision shot-making.
Murray won his opening service game of the first set but then lost five straight games as Nalbandian took a stranglehold, the South American closing out the set with a booming ace.
Change of tactics
Following Murray's change of tactics, the second proved a much tighter affair and there had been no breaks when Nalbandian served at 4-5.
But having moved 0-30 and then 15-40 ahead, Murray sensed his chance and got himself on terms when Nalbandian sent a forehand long, the South American slamming his racket to the floor in disgust.
The British number one - who sent down a total of 18 aces in the contest - continued to serve well in the decider and moved 4-3 ahead after overcoming his brief wrist scare.
Just as in the second Murray then pounced when the opportunity presented itself, converting the third of three break points when his opponent dumped a forehand into the net to edge 5-3 ahead.
He subsequently served out to love, confidently dispatching a volley to end the match and secure a third round meeting with Marin Cilic.
Croatia's Cilic, seeded 13th, booked a last 16 date with Murray after overcoming Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine 6-4 4-6 6-3.
Of his encounter with the Croat, he said: "If he serves well it will be a very difficult. I'll have to up my game from today and make a better start."
