Filed under: Tennis
An out of sorts Andy Murray still proved too strong for Gilles Simon as he made it six victories out of seven against the Frenchman to reach the third round of the Madrid Open.Having been handed a first-round bye, the British No. 1 needed three sets to overcome Simon, winning 6-4 3-6 6-0 on Arantxa Sanchex Court, as he made a victorious return to action following an elbow injury. He will now meet Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil.
However, it was a far cry from the calm, collected performances which saw him reach the semi-finals at Monte Carlo, with his display littered with unforced errors as well as the moody sulks which have, disappointingly, become a regular facet of his game when things do not go his way.
A series of unforced errors from Simon allowed Murray to break in the very first game of the match but the Frenchman broke straight back when the world No. 4 netted with a forehand.
The Scot spurned four break opportunities in game five as Simon dug deep to hold but the Frenchman was left to rue two missed break points of his own in game eight.
Murray broke with a fine volley in the following game before serving out for the set, clinching it with a trademark drop shot.
The first seven games of the second set went with serve, although Murray saw a break chance go to waste in the fifth game, and Simon took full advantage when he converted a second opportunity when the fourth seed sent a forehand way beyond the baseline.
The world No. 20 duly wrapped up the set to force a decider but, despite being far from his best, Murray proved too strong for his opponent, gaining three breaks along the way to taking the final set to love.
REACTION:
Murray was thrilled to come through the match after admitting he could play a lot better:
He told Sky Sports 1: "It was a good mental challenge. The tennis was not great. He is a very difficult player to play against. It's difficult with the altitude but he plays with a lot of spin. In the end I definitely did well to come through that but I know I can play better."
On facing Simon, whom he has lost to just once:
"You can get a lot of free points on your serve in these conditions. I have always enjoyed playing lefties. Hopefully I will play better on Thursday."
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