Madeline wrote:

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Wot?!! No report by Kundalini? I look forward to them - where are you, Kundalini?

I watched most of the match but need an expert to interpret what I saw.

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An emphatic win for Andy Murray against italian claycourter Alessio Di Mauro currently ranked 94 in the world, who came into the match having won their only previous meeting in a Challenger event in the spring of 2005. Both players broke into the top 100 for the first time last year, the difference being that Murray achieved that goal aged 18, while Di Mauro made the breakthrough at the age of 27.

With the exception of a first round defeat on the grass at Wimbledon, and his victory in the opening round of the US Open, Di Mauro has spent the last 12 months playing on the clay and the subtle differences between the surfaces and the playing style appropriate for each, soon became apparent as Murray took the first set 6-0 in under 20 minutes. Poor Alessio, who seemed nervous and never quite settled into the match, played clay court tennis for the first two sets before deciding that approach wasn't really working so he might as well try to hit a few winners, managing as many in the third set as he'd achieved in the first two; a couple of superb return winners off first serves and a great pass, perhaps the highlights of a disappointing display from the outclassed italian.

Bizarrely, given the scoreline, and his performance, it was hard not to feel admiration for Di Mauro for reaching, and indeed staying inside, the top 100. With so few weapons at his disposal, it looked like a serious achievement and one that puts to shame many more talented players. His almost total focus on the clay has clearly worked for him over the long run but on this occasion it meant a rare opportunity to see a player that simply wasn't at home on a hardcourt, displaying almost no understanding of how points are won on this surface.

In the first set the left-handed Di Mauro won seven points while achieving a first serve percentage of 75%, three of which were unforced errors from Andy including a double fault, just one winner from the italian. With a top spin forehand struck without any real pace, and a flat double-handed backhand Alessio possessed a combination that not only failed to threaten Murray but also broke down with alarming frequency, caught out by the bounce and speed of the court every time Andy pressed the accelerator. On a hardcourt Di Mauro's game didn't have enough pace to penetrate Murray's defences, making him little more than a practice partner in many of the baseline rallies. Not unsurprisingly, he also looked uncomfortable at the net, giving him no obvious means of winning enough points to be competitive.

An ace followed by an unreturned first serve gave Di Mauro his first game early in the second set but Murray still took the set 6-1 saving a couple of break points with impressive attacking tennis including a drive volley winner when serving for the set. And while Alessio upped the pace on both his first serve and his forehand in the third set, the accuracy suffered and the gulf between the players remained much the same.

Against such a limited opponent Andy did well to keep his concentration. He was prepared to be patient, rallying until he felt comfortable to go for a forcing shot to create the opening for a winner. The forehand did most of the damage this time. His first serve percentage was improved on recent displays though the speed was somewhat reduced. On second serve he seemed to vary his delivery more than in the Kendrick match.

After the struggles of his first round match Andy will have appreciated a contest that wasn't much more than a short training session; he'll need the energy for his next round against Fernando Gonzalez.