Murray beats Malisse to end malaise

Andy Murray has advanced to the third round of the Toronto Masters after a 7-5 6-2 victory over Xavier Malisse.

The Scot has recently faced questions over poor form, and also the controversial decision to fire Miles MacLagan and there was a palpable sense of relief that Murray could finally answer his critics on the tennis court.

All this scrutiny did seem to be hindering Murray initially, as he lost serve early in the first set and recovered just in time as Malisse was serving for the first set. The Belgian has been enjoying a renaissance season in 2010, and he was demonstrating this quite capably, with some vicious inside out forehands, and a tremendous forehand up the line being the highlight shots from the racquet of the 30 year old.

The recovery break seemed to calm Murray greatly. With the momentum changing almost instantly, Malisse's red hot forehand finally started to produce errors, and Murray was there to pick up the pieces and complete a remarkable turnaround.

It was starting to become evident that Malisse's blistering shotmaking in the early stages of the match was, with all due respect, flash in the pan, and as the Belgian struggled to reproduce the form he had shown, Murray was growing in confidence. The world number four is defending champion and is expected to show swagger and verve. As the match wore on, Murray's shotmaking became more ambitious and ultimately, successful. Dropshots, volleys, lobs and unlikely passing shots were all on display this evening, and Murray seemed pleased and somewhat relieved to get the win under his belt.

Up next in round three is the enigmatic and athletic Frenchman, Gael Monfils.