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The former World No. 1 Andy Murray advanced to the second round of the Sydney Tennis Classic after beating Viktor Durasovic, here on Tuesday.
It was Murray's first win in Australia in three years after he defeated Norwegian qualifier Viktor Durasovic 6-3, 6-1 in 72 minutes to reach the second round at the tournament. "It is perfect conditions here. It feels like you are playing indoors. It is really nice to get your range here and hopefully, I can carry that through to Melbourne. I was hoping to get matches in Melbourne last week, but that didn't happen," Murray said in his on-court interview. "Thankfully the tournament organisers and Tennis Australia agreed to give me the wild card and the opportunity to play here and I am very grateful for that," he added. The 34-year old Murray, whose last victory in Australia came against James Duckworth in Brisbane in January 2019, will next play second-seeded Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili at the ATP 250 event. "It is my first time in Sydney and it is a beautiful city. I have been on the Tour for a very long time and it is nice to come to new places and I had heard a lot about it and it hasn't disappointed," Murray added. In a solid display against Durasovic at Ken Rosewall Arena, the Scot played consistently from the baseline, hitting his flat backhands with great power and depth as he drew errors out of his 24-year-old opponent. Murray won 96 percent (25/26) of his first-serve points and sealed victory when he fired a forehand winner past Durasovic. Murray has a strong record in Australia, having advanced to the final at the Australian Open five times (2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016) and triumphed in Brisbane twice (2012, 2013). --IANS avn/bsk ( 312 Words) 2022-01-11-23:02:03 (IANS)
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