• Australian Open, Day One

Andy Murray overcomes first hurdle in Melbourne

ESPN staff
January 18, 2010
Andy Murray will face either Marc Gicquel or Simone Bolelli in the second round © Getty Images
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Andy Murray made light work of his first-round match against South African qualifier Kevin Anderson, losing just four games as he eased through to the second round of the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Despite only getting 35% of his first serves on target, Murray hit nine aces as he cruised to a 6-1 6-1 6-2 victory, and he got off to a fantastic start, racing to a 5-0 lead in the first set. The world No.5 showed no signs of nerves as he looks to win his first Grand Slam title, but he admitted he was feeling the pressure ahead of the match.

"He didn't get broken in the whole qualifying," said Murray. "I was a little bit nervous at the start but broke him straight away. It was a good start. He's a tough player - he beat [Novak] Djokovic before in Miami, he's won a tour event, so I wasn't expecting it to be easy. I just got off to a good start, which helped. I broke him straight away. That always makes a big difference."

Murray, seeded fifth, will face either Frenchman Marc Gicquel or Simone Bolelli of Italy in the second round.

It was a good day for Britain as women's No.1 Elena Baltacha enjoyed a 6-4 3-6 7-5 victory over Pauline Parmentier of France. Baltacha will now face 30th seed Kateryna Bondarenko in the second round.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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