Andy Murray dismisses Robin Haase; Juan Martin Del Porto progresses too – Australian Open 2013
Olympic Gold medallist, Andy Murray from Great Britain, crippled the Dutch number one, Robin Haase, with a breadstick at the Australian Open 2013 on Tuesday. The Argentinean number one, Juan Martin Del Potro, also stole the show and booked a spot in the
second round at this first of the four Grand Slam events taking place in Melbourne, Australia.
Seeded third in this major event, Murray displayed flawless performance to outclass Haase in their third encounter. After securing a place in the second round, the Scot not only edged in the FedEx ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Head 2 Head Series
by 2-1 against Haase but also moved a step closer towards bagging his second Grand Slam title.
Murray, who was little nervous after stepping in the Rod Laver Arena, was quoted in a courtside interview after bagging the match, “There are nerves in the build-up. You just got to try and focus and play solid, not make too many silly mistakes. I did a
good job of that today. It's always nice to get through the first round of any tournament, but especially here.”
The reigning US Open champion made a powerful start at this major outdoor hard court tournament. He jumped to a 5-1 lead with two breaks of serve. Despite losing his edge in the eighth game, Murray broke again and clicked the opener with a 6-3 win.
After Haase kept his serve in the second game of the following set, the world number three went berserk and reeled off five games in a row. As a result, he bagged the second set with a breadstick.
In the third set, Murray maintained consistency in his game and leaped to a 4-1 lead with two breaks of serve. Apart from losing his edge in the proceeding game, the Scot cashed another break chance near the end and clinched the set with a 6-3 score line.
Next in line for the Dunblane native is the Portuguese challenger, Joao Sousa, who stunned local wild card entrant, John-Patrick Smith, in straight sets to set up this battle.
Another person who is looking to grab his second Grand Slam title is the Argentinean star, Del Potro. The sixth seed breezed past the French contender, Adrian Mannarino, with a breadstick to progress at the Melbourne Park.
The Argentine stated in a post match press conference:
“I know how tough it is to win a Grand Slam. But I also know the way to win a Grand Slam. I'm trying to do that this year. It could be my biggest challenge this year, winning another Grand Slam. But [the big four] are playing really good tennis, and it's
not easy.”
Del Potro will square off against the German challenger, Benjamin Becker, in the round of 64.
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