Murray sweats to swat aside Seppi

Andy Murray returned comfortably to winning ways on the ATP tour, with a 6-4 6-4 victory over Andreas Seppi, at the Indian Wells Masters 1000.

The British number one has drawn criticism from various quarters of the media over the past few weeks, so it was refreshing to see him back in his usual environment, the tennis court.

This second round clash was hardly exhilarating. There were noticeable lulls for large junctures of the match, and the crowd was fairly minimal due to the match being scheduled so early, but there were a few baseline exchanges that will make the highlight reel.

Murray broke in the very first game, and a demolition job looked quite probable. However, a slack service game and some passive tennis typical of early Murray encounters, ensured the break was handed straight back to the Italian. The Scot's infamously inconsistent serve was prominent from the beginning of the match, and Murray was made to work hard in many of his service games throughout.

The world number four seemed content to let Seppi dictate play. The Italian is not known for possessing any ferocious weapons in his locker, but Murray's reluctance to be the aggressor allowed Seppi to step forward into the ball, and force the Brit to run from side to side. However, the defensive wall of Murray proved impenetrable, and Seppi sprayed a sufficient amount of errors to give his more illustrious opponent the double break.

Murray did little to assuage the anxieties of his fans, when he dropped service again when serving for the set. Another stern test was provided at 5-4, but the fourth seed held firm and took the first set.

As the match grew older, Murray's serve percentages became greater, and he started to hit with more depth. The score remained up until 3-3, when a lax backhand volley from Seppi gave Murray the edge, and the Australian Open finalist had little drama in closing out the match.

It was a pleasing victory, but the perfectionist nature of Murray will have seen many areas for marked improvement. In his post-match interview, Murray acknowledged his conservative tennis, but was relieved to win in straight-sets.

He will go on to face either Michael Russell of the USA or Igor Andreev of Russia, who play out their Cold War clash on Stadium 3 later.

Other venerable members of the MurraysWorld news team voiced their displeasure at the performance levels of both players. One likened it to post-curry defecation. Most members seemed content that Murray had booked his passage into the next round.