Andy Murray overcomes Bai Yan at the Shanghai Masters
Britain's Andy Murray entered the Shanghai Masters in convincing form on Wednesday, overcoming China's Bai Yan to progress to the third round of the tournament.
Breaking early in both sets, Murray won 6–2 6–2 in his first competitive game since the US Open last month.
"I thought it was good. I hit the ball cleanly, he played well with some good points and he was quick, but it was definitely a good first match – I hit a lot of balls and didn't make too many mistakes," said Murray after the win.
Murray went up 4–0 up in games in the first set as he cruised into the tie. Yan's unforced errors and inability to match Murray's aggressive play let the fourth seed take immediate control.
At 5–1, Murray failed to convert three break points as Yan was cheered on by the home crowd. The 21-year-old then got a chance to break Murray at 5–2, but the Scot evaded the danger and wrapped up the first set with a drop shot.
Commanded the start of the second set
Murray took another early lead in the second set. As Yan's defensive game failed him, Murray worked the Chinese around the court comfortably. Yan's double fault completed Murray's first break in the set.
Having held his serve, Murray continued to dominate, breaking again before failing to hold his opponent at 3–0. The British prospect bounced back in style, though, earning a third break in the second set and going up to a 5–1 lead.
Murray then squandered a match point but came back in the next game, sealing the second set and a solid victory with just over 80 minutes played.
"I've been sick a couple of times since the US Open so I need to get more match fit and to spend more time on the court you lose strength if you're ill and not training. I'll hopefully spend more time on the court – today was a good start."
Murray will face Jeremy Chardy in Thursday's third round, where he said he will employ the same offensive tactics he used on Yan.
"I'll try and play similar to today – I'll try and dictate the points when I get into the rallies, he likes to use his forehand a lot so I'll try and keep it away from the middle of the court and see what happen."
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