Murray toasts success

Andy Murray warmed up for the Australian Open with a straight-sets victory over David Nalbandian.

British No.1 wins exhibition encounter

Andy Murray warmed up for the Australian Open with a straight-sets victory over David Nalbandian in an exhibition match in Melbourne. The showdown, which was not part of the traditional Kooyong International event, provided plenty of entertainment for a good crowd despite the blustery conditions. Murray, who has been drawn against Ryan Harrison in the first round of the season's opening grand slam, eventually prevailed 6-3 7-6 (10-8). A tight first set went the way of the Scot when he broke twice from 3-3 although he relinquished the momentum at the start of the second when Nalbandian claimed the Murray serve. The world No.4 hit back to level it at 4-4 although he did cause a scare when he clutched his knee after the opening point of the 10th game. There seemed no lasting effect, though, as the set went to a tie-breaker - the start of which saw Murray narrowly fail to chase down a wide ball, prompting him to take a swig from a spectator's beer. The tie-breaker could have gone either way with the wind causing both men to serve double faults at crucial times but Murray eventually edged it after Nalbandian thrashed a backhand wide.