ANDY IN SLO START
Brit confident he can recapture form
ANDY MURRAY is not fretting over his French Open form – despite making heavy weather of beating an unseeded Slovakian.
The world No.1 yesterday needed three hours and 35 minutes to defeat Martin Klizan, eventually coming through 6-7 6-2 6-2 7-6.
It was another patchy performance from Murray and he will need to up his game against Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro in the third round.
Former US Open champion Del Potro, who is working his way back up the rankings after wrist problems, will present a serious test.
Murray said: “It’s a tough match. He’s one of the best in the world.
“I definitely feel like I’m capable of winning that match. I am playing way better than I was two weeks ago and ® from IAIN STEWART in Paris this match will have done me a lot of good. Physically I pulled up well and felt good.
“I will gain a lot of confidence from that. I also hit a lot of balls out there, more than the first-round match.
“It seems like everyone thinks I didn’t play particularly well, but there was some good stuff against a tough opponent.
“It’s not easy to play against someone like him. So hopefully I will keep improving in the next one.”
Process
Murray dropped the first set against his big-hitting opponent. However, Klizan, the world No.50, began the match with his left calf heavily strapped and he paid the price.
The Scot won 11 out of 13 games to take a 2-1 lead before edging the tiebreak in the fourth set to progress.
Reaching the final for the second year in a row seems a long way off, but Murray added: “Consistency is definitely what I’m looking for.”
Fellow Brit Kyle Edmund’s progress was considerably easier as he reached the third round for the first time thanks to a 7-5 6-3 6-1 win over Argentina’s Renzo Olivo.
Edmund has yet to drop a set so far and now faces Kevin Anderson.
Edmund said: “I have to keep going about my process and I want to get to the top of the game one day. I know what needs to be done.”