Andy Murray tops Paul-Henri Mathieu to enter round three – BNP Paribas Masters 2012
Olympic gold medallist, Andy Murray from Great Britain, got the better of the former world number 12, Paul-Henri Mathieu, in straight sets at the BNP Paribas Masters 2012 on Wednesday. He nudged up a 7-5, 6-3 victory against the local contender to open his bid at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Masters 1000 event held in Paris Bercy.
Seeded third in this event, Murray displayed flawless tennis to outclass the Frenchman for the fifth straight time. The contestants last battled each other at the China Open two years ago and after recording this victory, the Scot not only improved to a 5-0 lifetime in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head Series against the 30-year-old but also booked a place in the third round.
The British number one stated in a courtside interview after overpowering Mathieu:
“I served well... I think towards the end of the first set, we started to have a few more rallies. But the conditions were fast.”
Murray further asses his performance in an interview to sky sports:
"I felt okay, I served pretty well, struggled a bit on return, especially at the beginning. I struggled a bit with my timing as well but it got a lot better towards the end. I've been playing very well in practice and felt quite confident coming into today but when the match started the conditions are much different. I've never played my best tennis at this tournament and I'd like to change that."
The 25-year-old made a convincing entry at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. He dusted away all three breakpoints he came across to keep his entire serves. Murray cashed the lone break opportunity in the 11th game and eventually pulled out the opener with a 7-5 score line.
Ranked third in the world, Murray maintained his intensity in the proceeding set. He broke his rival’s serve twice and leaped to a 4-1 lead. Despite squandering his serve in the very next game, the Scot remained focused and capitalised on another break chance in the last game, ultimately clicking the set with a 6-3 win.
Next up for the Dunblane, Scotland native is the Polish qualifier, Jerzy Janowicz, who stunned 13th seeded Marin Cilic to set up this date.
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