• US Open, Day One

Murray limps past Bogomolov

The serve was not sharp, but Andy Murray had enough quality to take out Alex Bogomolov Jr © PA Photos

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Andy Murray shook off a truly awful start, a serving malaise and a bout of cramp to beat Alex Bogomolov Jr 6-2 6-4 6-1 in the first round of the US Open.

The Olympic champion appeared to arrive at Flushing Meadows having left his serve somewhere over the Atlantic, while he inexplicably missed a string of simple shots. It could have contrived to produce an embarrassing exit for the No. 3 seed, but his Russian opponent did not have the capacity to take advantage and Murray was able to claim a straight-sets success despite never hitting top gear.

In truth Murray did not get anywhere top gear, but Bogomolov could not make any impact despite having a string of chances. It took Murray three attempts to hold serve and he was so bad early on that he framed a simple volley into the net.

But from the moment he held serve in the fifth game, he looked in control of the opening set. Murray repeatedly went to the drop shot, he went to it two points into the match, all too aware of his opponent's history of problems with fatigue.

Mixed between the rubbish, which included a second-serve fault at a startlingly slow 75mph, were glorious exchanges. Drop shots were traded like they were going out of fashion with Murray winning the point courtesy of a composed volley.

And with Bogomolov unable to gain any traction on his own serve, Murray took the opening set and looked set to run away with the contest. Bogomolov failed to attempt to run down a drop shot in the final game of the opening set and went off court, suggesting all was not well. But he returned with a fresh shirt and broke at the start of the second - but in truth it was handed to him by Murray who summed up his mood with a verbal volley aimed at himself and a tossing of his racket in disgust.

Murray had to dig deep in the fifth game, holding from 15-40 behind, and it set about a change in momentum as Murray broke three games later and again in the 10th - winning it with a booming forehand - to take a two-set lead.

At the third time of asking, Murray did not surrender his opening service game - holding to love to send a message to a seemingly deflated Bogomolov. And Murray rammed home the message by breaking in the second game, with his famed forehand return finding its range with a couple of sublime crosscourt efforts, while a glorious dinked lob suggested top form is not far away.

But, as is so often the case with Murray, with the match seemingly in safe keeping he produces some sloppy play to gift his opponent a lifeline. A poor service game, capped off with a woeful forehand into the net, handed Bogomolov a break back.

The Russian did not take advantage of the gift as he was broken back immediately and Murray went on to clinch the win despite setting alarm bells ringing when pulling up midway through the third set with what appeared to be cramp. It looked bad at one stage, with the Scot unable to bend his left leg, but he shook it off to claim the win.

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