Focused Murray ready to go up a gear
BRITISH No1 Andy Murray accepts he must improve if he is to avoid becoming the first high-profile casualty at the US Open when he faces Dutchman Robin Haase in their second round clash today.
Murray got off to a sluggish start in his victory over India’s Somdev Devvarma on Tuesday and will need to raise his game today if he is to progress to the third round, with big-hitting Haase a potential banana skin.
Haase won their only previous match, in Rotterdam in 2008, and is currently in the best form of his career after winning his first ATP World Tour event in Kitzbuhel earlier this month.
Murray said: “He’s a tough player. He’s talented, has quite a big game. He’ll start off very fast, very flashy.
“He likes playing on the big courts. He’ll definitely come out swinging, so I need to try and weather that, play a solid match.”
Last night former World No1 Roger Federer won through to round three with a routine win over Dudi Sela but Britain’s Elena Baltacha crashed out of the women’s event at the hands of Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets.