Another quick win for Andy Murray sent the British number one cruising into the second week of the Australian Open in high spirits.
Murray happy with another quick win as second week looms
Another quick win for Andy Murray sent him cruising into the second week of the Australian Open in high spirits, the British number one claiming a fast start as the key to his emphatic win over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
Murray lost just four games to the Spaniard and his 6-1 6-1 6-2 trouncing kept the British number one in great shape in his bid to go one better than last year's final and win a maiden grand slam title.
Another ruthless display from Murray showed the fifth seed is well-placed to launch a strong bid for the title, but his biggest test should come in the next round as he faces 11th seed Jurgen Melzer.
Murray said a fast start was the key to his effortless 82-minute success against Garcia-Lopez on Saturday.
"It was good," said Murray. "Obviously, it was a quick match. Served well. Hit the ball clean from the back. That was it.
Good start
"I got off to a good start and played well from there. The first game doesn't always dictate the way the match is going to go, but it definitely helped today.
"I broke from 40-0 in the first game and played well after that."
Garcia-Lopez produced one of the shots of the tournament in the first game, however, as he hit a superb passing shot between his legs, a shot more out of Murray's own book.
"It was the first time someone passed me on a through-the-legs shot on the tour. It was a very close one on the line," said Murray with a smile.
It was as good as it got for Garcia-Lopez, though, and Murray was untroubled from then on, although he insisted it was tough to keep focused in the Melbourne heat.
Quick match
"It was good today, obviously, a quick match," he added. "I served well, hit the ball cleanly from the back. I played well while he probably didn't play his best. It was over quickly.
"It was hot today so it was nice to get off the court. It's very difficult to concentrate for a long period of time in this heat and that was what I was able to do.
"It was very good to get off quickly. I didn't use up much energy at all. There wasn't many long rallies. So, yeah, it was perfect.
"I have played well in the first three matches and it's tough to concentrate in this heat. It was a lot harder than the scoreline suggests."
The heat should not be too much of a problem for Murray going forward, though, as he says his off-season training in Miami has placed him in top shape for some longer matches to come.
"The training in Miami has helped me a lot to prepare for the long five-set matches," he added.
