Rome – Andy Murray made light of a swirling wind to ease past Spain’s Marcel Granollers 6-2 7-5 in the second round of the Rome Masters on Wednesday.
With dust whipping up off the surface and the ball playing tricks, seventh seed Murray proved far too solid for his unseeded rival as he set up a third-round clash with Austrian veteran Juergen Melzer.
Murray reeled off four games in a row from 2-2 in the opening set and, apart from losing his opening service game in the second set, he always looked in control.
While not being forced to play his best tennis, it was an impressive opening for Murray, who a year ago at the same tournament retired with a back injury against the same opponent.
“All the dust and stuff was getting in your eyes. It was extremely blustery, strong conditions,” Murray, who is looking to get in some match-time for the French Open, told Sky Sports.
“From one of the ends it was really tough to get any real depth on the ball. I just tried to play a smart match.”
Melzer beat Croatia’s Marin Cilic in the three sets.
Following Murray, Roger Federer was back in action for the first time since the birth of his second set of twins forced him to withdraw from the Madrid Masters.
Federer was up against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy before women's top seed Serena Williams was set to take on Germany’s Andrea Petkovic.
Men’s top seed Rafa Nadal was topping the evening bill at the Foro Italico with a second round clash with France’s Gilles Simon. – Reuters