• Australian Open, Day Two

Murray battles through to round two

ESPN staff
January 17, 2012
Andy Murray was stretched throughout the match © Getty Images
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Men's round-up: Djokovic dominant
Women's round-up: Kvitova cruises, Stosur out

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Andy Murray overcame a shaky start to down a dogged Ryan Harrison in his opening-round clash at the Australian Open.

The world No. 4 required four sets to defeat his 77th-ranked opponent, but ultimately prevailed 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-2. Murray showed all his steel to recover from a horror first set which saw him hit the majority of his 40 unforced errors.

The turning point for Murray came in the fourth game of the second set, when the Scot broke Harrison's serve to move to a 3-1 lead. Confidence evidently returned to Murray's game thereafter and the American began to doubt his shot selection.

However, whilst Harrison lacked the poise and technique of his higher-ranked opponent, he continued to make Murray work hard for each point, creating new angles and hitting regular drop shots to disturb the Scot's rhythm.

The third set was yet another tough contest between the pair, but Harrison began to fade slightly, allowing Murray to break again and steal command of the match. Murray's staying power proved too much for the 19-year-old in the fourth set as a lazy backhand down the line caught the tape, providing the fourth seed with a passage into round two.

Murray will now take on Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France after he progressed to round two after his opponent Xavier Malisse was forced to retire through injury.

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