Andy Murray vs Joao Sousa Preview – Australian Open 2015 Round 3
Former three-time finalist Andy Murray looked to be in quite the hurry on Margaret Court Arena when he ran through his opponent in straight sets, barely breaking a sweat. The British No. 1, who is yet to drop a set in Melbourne, will next face Portugal’s Joao Sousa, whom he has faced on three previous occasions. The British No. 1 leads the head-to-head series 3-0.
Watch the match here: Murray v Sousa Live
Following his breezy victory over Bhambri, Andy Murray took on Australia’s Marinko Matosevic, who he needed even less time to dispatch and secure his spot in the third round of the Australian Open. Murray, who won the match 6-1, 6-3, 6-2, fired 5 aces, won 85% of his first service points and struck 21 winners to close out the match in 1 hour and 42 minutes.
“I definitely started quite quickly today,” said Murray. “I was timing the ball well on the return and serving well from the beginning of the match, and it helped a lot because, you know, obviously the crowd were behind him. You know, managed to take the crowd out of it a little bit by starting that quickly.”
While Joao Sousa spent longer on court than his upcoming opponent, he still won the match via retirement when Martin Klizan was forced to withdraw from the contest. Sousa was leading 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-4, 1-0 before the Slovakian retired in the fourth set. The Portuguese No. 1 hit 8 aces, 8 winners and won 72% of his first service points before the premature ending of the match.
This marks the fourth time that Murray and Sousa will meet on the professional tour. Murray leads the head-to-head series 3-0, which include two straight sets victories in 2014. Both those wins took place on hard courts, which only adds to the expectation that the Briton will ease into the fourth round of the tournament.
Prediction: Andy Murray in Straight Sets
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