Former world No 1 Andy Murray beats Viktor Durasovic in Sydney to set up Sydney Tennis Classic second-round clash with Nikoloz Basilashvili; Scot beat world No 345 6-3 6-1 in just 72 minutes; Murray has wild card for Australian Open
Tuesday 11 January 2022 11:13, UK
Andy Murray clinched his first win of 2022 as he continued preparations for the Australian Open with a straight-sets victory over Viktor Durasovic in the first round of the Sydney Tennis Classic.
It marked the former world No 1's first win in Australia since beating James Duckworth in January 2019, after which he admitted in a pre-Australian Open press conference that he could be forced to retire due to his hip injury.
Murray, who has a wild card into the first Grand Slam of the year, breezed beyond world No 345 Durasovic 6-3 6-1 in just 72 minutes to follow up last week's season-opening loss to Facundo Bagnis in Melbourne.
"It is perfect conditions here," Murray said in his on-court interview. "It feels like you are playing indoors. It is really nice to get your range here and hopefully I can carry that through to Melbourne.
"I was hoping to get matches in Melbourne last week, but that didn't happen. Thankfully the tournament organisers and Tennis Australia agreed to give me the wild card and the opportunity to play here and I am very grateful for that."
The Scot won 25 of 26 first-serve points on his way to setting up a second-round meeting with Georgian second seed Nikoloz Basilashvili.
Murray suffered a first-round defeat to Roberto Bautista Agut the last time he competed in the Australian Open back in 2019 having reached the final five times alongside a semi-final and quarter-final appearance between 2010 and 2016.
