Top seed Andy Murray has kick-started his Wimbledon title defence with a comprehensive 6-1, 6-4, 6-2, win over Alexander Bublik in the first round.
The world No.1 entered the match with doubts surrounding him due to a sore hip hindering his preparation over the past week. Yet, those fears proved to be irrelevant as he pushed his 20-year-old opponent around the court with ease. There were occasional signs of pain shown on Murray’s face, but they had little impact on his performance.
“I feel pretty good. The last few days I have been feeling better each day.” Murray said following his first round win. “Obviously getting out on a match court is a little bit different. The intensity is a little bit hard, but also with the adrenaline and stuff it helps, numbs some pain you might have.”
“I moved well today. I thought I didn’t pretty well for the first match.”
Bublik recently said that the unpredictability in his game has aided his rise in the rankings, but it failed to phrase Murray. The disparity in experience between the two players was the decisive factor in the match. Bublik’s fast serves and dedicate slice shots was not consistent enough to trouble the top seed, who sealed the opening set in just 31 minutes after saving a duo of break points in his opening service game.
With Murray in pole position, a characteristic Bublik managed to keep the crowd engaged in the match. Shortly after the home favourite hit a winning forehand volley to break at the start of set 2, the Kazakh orchestrated the crowd to support him as he relished in the moment. Still, it was Murray who had the upper hand, fighting back from a 0-40 deficit to seal the two-set lead.
Approaching the finish line, it was the rain that proved to be Murray’s biggest threat. Twice the players had to leave the court as mother nature disrupted play. Unlike the normal protocol, the rain delay saw both Murray and Bublik talking to each other. Just one example of Bublik’s unorthodox character on the tour.
“I was chatting to him during the rain delay before we went out. Chatting about Centre Court, we were talking a bit about the match as well, which is pretty rare.” Murray revealed.
“He’s a bit of a character, a bit different to others players.”
Despite the disruption, Murray secured his second round spot with ease after securing a double break in the third set.
Next for the top seed will be a showdown against Germany’s Dustin Brown in what will be their first tour meeting since the 2010 US Open. Brown, who defeated Rafael Nadal at the tournament in 2015, battled his way past Joao Sousa 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-4, in his opening match.
“Tomorrow I have a light-ish practice and work on a few things that maybe could have been a bit better.” Murray told the BBC when asked about his preparations for the second round.
“The way Dustin players, he comes to the net a lot, so I will work a bit on my passing shots and lobs.”
Nishikori marches on
Ninth seed Kei Nishikori was in clinical form as he brushed aside Italy’s Marco Cecchinato 6-2, 6-2, 6-0, in his opening match. Nishikori, who is yet to reach the quarterfinals at SW19, sealed the 72-minute match with the help of 35 winners compared to only 14 unforced errors.
72 minutes.@keinishikori wasted no time in reaching the secound round of #Wimbledon… pic.twitter.com/PhVGomOGPL
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) 3 July 2017
The Monday triumph is a confidence boost for the Japanese player following his recent injury scare. At the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, he was forced to pull out of the tournament due to a hip issue. Discussing the problem shortly after his first round win, Nishikori remains cautious about the current state of his injury.
“There were no issues with it today, but it wasn’t a very long match. There will be some long, hard matches to come, so I’m going to have to be ready for those,” said Nishikori. “My opponent is a clay courter and not used to grass, so I wanted to quickly get into rallies. This was a great start.”
Nishikori will play Julien Benneteau or Sergiy Stakhovsky in the second round.
