Andy Murray eased into the third round of the Madrid Open on Wednesday evening with a convincing 6-3 6-3 victory over qualifier Juan Ignacio Chela.
The win will undoubtedly boost the morale of the world number four, who had only won one match in his previous three tournaments in Miami, Monte Carlo and Rome.
Seeded third on the clay at La Caja Magica having received a first-round bye, Murray rarely looked in trouble against the veteran Argentinian and will next play Romania’s Victor Hanescu.
He lost just one point in winning the opening three games and with a succession of booming forehands, well-placed backhands and delicate drop shots, hardly appeared out of sorts.
Murray achieved two service breaks but then lost his way slightly, winning just three points in the next two games as Chela hit back to 3-2.
However, Murray nipped the fightback in the bud by holding his next two service games to love before breaking Chela for the third time in the 10th game to take the set.
He missed two set points in that game but made no mistake with the third as a back-spin forehand shot proved too good for his opponent.
Chela again offered the hint of resistance when he broke Murray’s serve at the start of the second set but the Scot immediately cancelled that out following a lengthy rally which ended with his opponent netting a simple forehand.
The next three games went to serve before Murray made the decisive break in the sixth game with a superb crosscourt forehand to take a 4-2 lead before subsequently holding serve.
Murray, who won the Madrid title in 2008 when it was played on hard court, missed three match points on the Chela serve, but completed the win in the following game.
He later told Sky Sports 1: „I thought it was good, best I’ve hit the ball in a long time.
Murray has struggled since reaching the Australian Open final and admitted his serve has been problematic.
„It’s been inconsistent,” said Murray.
„I’ve been practising it a lot but if you start thinking about it all the time it doesn’t exactly help.
„Today I served well when I needed to. It took a few service games to get used to the conditions – it’s a lot faster here.
Ahead of the French Open – this week’s tournament is the last before Roland Garros – Murray said he was focused on his performances and not on results.
He added: „It’s important, but for me, obviously I want to win as many matches as possible and go as deep into tournaments as I can.
„But right now I’m focusing a lot on how I’m playing.
„I played well today, it was a good match. If I play well in the next one then I’ll be happy.
„I want to get back to feeling good on the court, feeling comfortable, going for my shots and moving like I did today.
„If I do that I’ll start to go deep into tournaments again.
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Straight sets for Murray
Andy Murray eased into the third round of the Madrid Open on Wednesday evening with a convincing 6-3 6-3 victory over qualifier Juan Ignacio Chela.
The win will undoubtedly boost the morale of the world number four, who had only won one match in his previous three tournaments in Miami, Monte Carlo and Rome.
Seeded third on the clay at La Caja Magica having received a first-round bye, Murray rarely looked in trouble against the veteran Argentinian and will next play Romania’s Victor Hanescu.
He lost just one point in winning the opening three games and with a succession of booming forehands, well-placed backhands and delicate drop shots, hardly appeared out of sorts.
Murray achieved two service breaks but then lost his way slightly, winning just three points in the next two games as Chela hit back to 3-2.
However, Murray nipped the fightback in the bud by holding his next two service games to love before breaking Chela for the third time in the 10th game to take the set.
He missed two set points in that game but made no mistake with the third as a back-spin forehand shot proved too good for his opponent.
Chela again offered the hint of resistance when he broke Murray’s serve at the start of the second set but the Scot immediately cancelled that out following a lengthy rally which ended with his opponent netting a simple forehand.
The next three games went to serve before Murray made the decisive break in the sixth game with a superb crosscourt forehand to take a 4-2 lead before subsequently holding serve.
Murray, who won the Madrid title in 2008 when it was played on hard court, missed three match points on the Chela serve, but completed the win in the following game.
He later told Sky Sports 1: „I thought it was good, best I’ve hit the ball in a long time.
Murray has struggled since reaching the Australian Open final and admitted his serve has been problematic.
„It’s been inconsistent,” said Murray.
„I’ve been practising it a lot but if you start thinking about it all the time it doesn’t exactly help.
„Today I served well when I needed to. It took a few service games to get used to the conditions – it’s a lot faster here.
Ahead of the French Open – this week’s tournament is the last before Roland Garros – Murray said he was focused on his performances and not on results.
He added: „It’s important, but for me, obviously I want to win as many matches as possible and go as deep into tournaments as I can.
„But right now I’m focusing a lot on how I’m playing.
„I played well today, it was a good match. If I play well in the next one then I’ll be happy.
„I want to get back to feeling good on the court, feeling comfortable, going for my shots and moving like I did today.
„If I do that I’ll start to go deep into tournaments again.
Four more Premier League games will be shown in 3D this month. Find out how to watch them…
Sky Sports Scout is where we scour the globe looking for the best talent, next up is Fraser Fyvie.
