Murray beats Granollers under US Open roof
| US Open |
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| Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 29 August-11 September |
| Coverage: Live radio commentary on Radio 5 live sports extra from 22:00 BST plus live text coverage on selected matches on the BBC Sport website. |
Andy Murray beat Spain’s Marcel Granollers to reach the third round of the US Open as rain hammered down on the new roof above Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The Briton, seeded second, won 6-4 6-1 6-4 as a storm passed over New York, suspending play on the outside courts.
Murray goes on to face Frenchman Gilles Simon or Paolo Lorenzi of Italy in the last 32 on Saturday.
Fellow Britons Dan Evans and Naomi Broady are scheduled to play on Thursday, along with Serena Williams.
You couldn’t hear the ball – Murray
A flurry of resistance from Granollers at the end of the first set, and a stadium reverberating to the noise of spectators and rain, could not derail Murray.
“It’s tough, you couldn’t really hear the ball, which makes it tricky, but we’re lucky to play under the roof because otherwise there’d be no tennis right now,” said Murray.
The Scot, 29, went through in two hours and 22 minutes to take his record to 24 wins and one defeat since the beginning of Queen’s Club in June.
There were 34 winners but a first-serve percentage of just 43% and 28 unforced errors will give him something to work on before he returns to action on Saturday.
Granollers, ranked 45th, quickly fell 5-2 behind but a shift to more aggressive tactics made Murray work hard to close out the set, the second seed needing 23 minutes and seven set points to clinch the final two games.
Murray also had to see off a couple of break points early in the second set but then eased away with five games in a row for a two-set lead.
The match had begun under the new roof that covers the 23,000-capacity Arthur Ashe Stadium, which has the effect of keeping out the rain but also trapping in the noise of the spectators.
With a torrential downpour beating on the new structure, the second half of the contest was played out amid a persistent buzz of noise, but Murray remained focused and grabbed the decisive break at 4-4 in the third set.
“I hit quite a lot of winners, although 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.”