Andy Murray disposes of Gicquel

Andy Murray was great value for his 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 win over Marc Gicquel in the second round of the Australian Open. Murray was rarely pursued until the third set and was only on court for around two hours.

The Scot appeared a class above his French rival in the first set, dazzling the Margaret Court Arena with an array of volleys and touch shots. Murray broke and won the first five games and looked in no mood to let his opponent have a say. His serves down the T were always clinical and Gicquel was lacking in answers or any form of winner. The first set was completed with minimum fuss as Murray combined serve and volley tactics with an ace to draw first blood.

History repeated itself again as Gicquel failed to hold his serve at the beginning of the second set. The world number 57 was misjudging too many balls at crucial moments and looked unable to live with Murray’s wicked trick shots. Like a cat with infinite lives, Murray survived a scare when serving for the set after ostensibly wrapping the set up before an overrule. The Scot kept his cool and served out the set with an adroit chip and charge.

As dark began to fall on the picturesque surroundings of Melbourne, Gicquel had located his competitive juices and began playing with more freedom and aggression. When both players traded breaks, the 32 year old began to hit winners down both lines and had found an effective game plan after all. At 4-3 on serve with Murray on the ropes, the coiled spring of tension began to expand as Murray hit a debateable winner which looked long. Gicquel’s protestations were in vain and Murray went on to win the game like so often is the case.

As the fifth seed attempted to close out the match, an epic rally took place at match point. Gicquel hit a volley at the net and began pulling his opponent across all angles of the court. After Murray succumbed at the first time of asking, at a second match point, Gicquel’s concentration buckled and he thrashed a forehand wide. The match was deservedly won by Murray.

The usual exhibition show of elegant volleys and drop shots by Murray took place today and it was a relatively stress free night of tennis with modest temperatures. Murray will be glad he at least pushed slightly in the final set to test his competitive spirits. Another Frenchman in Florent Serra is Murray’s next opponent on Friday.