NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 2: Rain delayed the action on the outer courts in New York on Thursday. But under the closed roof of the Arthur Ashe Stadium, world number two Andy Murray moved into the third round with a straight-sets win.
The world’s second-best player made relatively short work of Spain’s Marcel Granollers to book a place in the third round of the US Open. That was despite the unusual feeling of being inside.
“It’s tough, you couldn’t really hear the ball at all, which makes it tricky,” Murray said after the match. “But we’re lucky to play under the roof because otherwise there’d be no tennis right now, so it’s good for everyone.”
The Scotsman jumped all over Granollers in the first set, winning the first three games. The 30-year-old underdog did manage to get the game back on serve at 4-5 and deuce. But Murray came through with the decisive break after a forehand winner.Having come close only to fail may have gotten to the hard-serving Spaniard, who came unglued and only won a single game in the second set. Meanwhile, despite a first-serve percent of below 50, Murray reeled off five straight games to go up 2-0
“I hit quite a lot of winners, although my first-serve percentage wasn’t great,” Murray said. “I won a lot of points behind my first serve. I would have liked to make a few more first serves but it is a little bit different serving under the roof, a little heavier conditions.”
Granollers resistance stiffened in the third set, with the two players staying on serve through eight games. But Murray got the break he needed in the ninth and served out the match with ease. The final score was 6-4, 6-1, 6-4. Among the men’s top-10 seeds, Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori, and Dominic Thiem all advanced.
Both Williams sisters advance
On the women’s side, Serena Williams hit 13 aces to beat beating Vania King 6-3, 6-3 to tie Martina Navratilova’s professional-era women’s record of 306 career Grand Slam victories and move on to the third round.
“It was definitely a little different playing with Ashe closed,” Williams said afterwards. “But it still feels great.” Top-10 seeds Agnieszka Radwanska, Simona Haleb, Venus Williams and Karolina Pliskova also advanced.
Friday sees the start of third-round play in the men’s and women’s singles, with both world number one Novak Djokovic and the number 2 woman, Angelique Kerber in action. Also playing on Friday will be former US Open champions Rafael Nadal and Marin Cilic.
