Andy Murray makes a strong start to the US Open and puts his cramping issues aside to cruise into round two with a routine 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 win over Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo
- Andy Murray booked his place in the second round of this year’s US Open
- The Brit beat Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo 7-5 6-3 6-3 at Flushing Meadows
- He produced his first straight set win at a Grand Slam tournament in five years
Andy Murray made a positive start to his US Open campaign with a straight-sets victory over 24th seed Francisco Cerundolo in New York.
The 35-year-old went into the tournament having only won one match on the North American hard courts this season and with concerns over persistent cramping but this proved to be a relatively straightforward outing in humid conditions.
Argentinian Cerundolo has won the majority of his ranking points on clay and Murray had to grind his way through plenty of long rallies on his way to a 7-5 6-3 6-3 victory, with the only real negative a failure to serve out all three sets.
More to follow.
Andy Murray booked his place in the second round of this year’s US Open on Monday
The Brit cruised to his first straight set victory at a Grand Slam tournament in five years
Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo was no match for Murray at the Louis Armstrong Stadium
Follow Sportsmail’s live coverage of Andy Murray’s first round match at the US Open in New York.
Host commentator
It’s all over at the Louis Armstrong Stadium!
Andy Murray cruises past Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo 7-5 6-3 6-3 to book his place in the second round of the US Open.
The Brit may feel he played a few extra games than necessary, a concern due to his recent cramping issues, but he’ll be delighted with the victory all-in-all.
Cerundolo will feel disappointed with his performance after going toe-to-toe with Murray in the first set, he took his foot off the gas after that and was made to pay.
There seems to be a bit of a recurring theme today…
Murray fails to close out the set yet again, as he hits long when 40-30 down.
Cerundolo holds on!
The last thing Murray will want is to to drag this match out for longer than necessary.
Murray’s within touching distance of the second round of the US Open now.
He cruises through his service game with relative ease and now the pressure is on Cerundolo…
There’s nothing stopping Murray today.
He breaks the Argentine after Cerundolo hits another effort past the baseline.
Murray takes back control after an error from Cerundolo.
The Argentine misjudges the power on a drop shot and watches as it softly bounces into the net.
It’s been one-way traffic this afternoon for the tournament’s 24th seed.
Cerundolo reminding everybody what he’s capable of in that game.
The Argentine produced some beautiful, powerful forehand shots to get the better of the Brit.
Murray continues to dominate out at Flushing Meadows.
Another unforced error from Cerundolo hands the game to the Brit and the Argentine let off a big scream to let the crowd know just how upset he is with that.
Murray does a fist pump as he secures the first game of the third set.
Meanwhile, the Argentine looks furious after gifting the game with a wayward long-shot.
Murray wraps up the second set!
The Brit gets there in the end after Cerundolo looked to be mounting a comeback.
The Argentine seemed like he lost a lot of composure during that set, let’s see if he can regain his spirit that he had in the first set.
What a shift in momentum this has been!
Cerundolo wraps up three games on the bounce with a terrific service game performance.
A bit of complacency from Murray?
The Brit allows his opponent two break points before firing a shot into the tramlines.
A lifeline for Cerundolo.
Finally, the Argentine wins a game in this second set.
A brilliant ace wraps up his service game but surely that won’t be enough to prevent the inevitable…
This is beginning to look like a formality for the Brit, as his opponent continues to roll over in this second set.
It seems Cerundolo has lost the belief he can make Murray work after exerting all that energy in the first set.
Not that Murray will be complaining, but Cerundolo has been gifting unenforced errors like it’s Christmas!
The Argentine looks void of any enthusiasm and is struggling to get motivated for the rest of this match.
That’s not to say Murray hasn’t been impressive, as he has.
Murray takes the third game.
Cerundolo sealed his own fate after hitting long when the Brit had advantage and it’ll take a lot to overturn this deficit now.
Murray is really in the swing of things now and is capitalising on all his opponent’s mistakes.
Cerundolo let the Brit have three break points before claiming his first point of the set following a superb rally, but he couldn’t prevent Murray from taking the game.
The task is getting considerably more difficult for the Argentine now…
The Brit picks up where he left off as he sweeps his Cerundolo 40-0.
The Argentine looked a little deflated there, let’s hope he can pick it up in the next game.
Set, Murray!
Two early gifts from the Argentine put Murray in cruise control before the 24th seed produced some miraculous shots to claw it back to 30-30.
The Brit wins the next point before a double fault from his opponent draws an end to the first set.
Defending men’s champion Daniil Medvedev is about to kick off his defence of the US Open title as he prepares to take on American world number 111 Stefan Kozlov Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Brilliant play from Murray as he wins the game with a whitewash.
Any frustrations he may have had have just been released through two outstanding back-to-back aces.
What a response from the Argentine – who was down 5-2!
His performance in that game showed his grit, desire and talent all in one… now can he secure the set?
Incredible scenes here as a contentious decision is overturned after being shown on the screen at the Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Cerundolo looked to have reached a Murray volley before going on to win the point but upon closer inspection, the ball bounced twice – which Murray pointed out immediately. 40-30.
Gasps from the crowd as Murray’s close range volley bounces within the tramlines before the Brit hits into the net to give Cerundolo two break points.
After a long rally, Murray hits wide again and the Argentine wins the game.
The next game will be crucial…
Great tennis from the Argentine, who looks a bit fired up now.
He’s not going down without a fight and proved it with some fantastic winners against the Scotsman in that game.
Can he now go and break Murray?
Murray races through the seventh game as he once again takes control of the match with some fantastic tennis.
Consistent shots from the Scotsman have paid dividends so far, allowing him to wait for Cerundolo to make a mistake.
The Argentine holds on to close the difference to two games.
Murray let out a groan of frustration midway through the game as he saw one of his shots fly out of bounds, to the delight of his opponent who’s tactic of slowing the pace seemed to pay dividends.
Murray races into an early 40-15 lead, leaving him with two break points.
Cerundolo manages to hit a well placed winner to grab a point back before firing wide and conceding the game to the Scotsman.
Murray looks like he’s all warmed up now as he manages to break Cerundolo.
A brilliant rally culminating in the Brit casually slamming a volley past his opponent sees Murray claim the fourth game.
There’s cheers from the crowd and a fist pump from Andy Murray after he holds on to win the third game after an error from Cerundolo.
Some superb rallies within this game with one of the highlights being a deft overhead volley from Murray that wrongfoots hit opponent.
Cerundolo showed off his immense power as well, with an immense return ace midway through the game.
There’s not too much to separate the two men at the moment. 30-40.
Murray is being made to work hard early on here, as Cerundolo sends him from one side of the court to another with some well placed forehand shots.
The Brit is thrown a lifeline as his opponent hits into the net twice to bring the game to deuce.
A superb backhand and a Cerundolo mistake sees Murray claim the second game – which is met by loud cheers from the crowd out at Flushing Meadows.
It’s an early break for Cerundolo after Murray’s volley loops just past the base line.
It’s still a long way to go, but promising signs for the 24th seed nonetheless.
The Brit gets us underway but loses the first point after hitting long. He redeems himself with three points back-to-back before Cerundolo saves the game point with a nicely placed volley at the net.
The Argentine claws it to deuce after Murray hits into the net.
The wait is nearly over at the Louis Armstrong Stadium…
Murray takes on an Argentine opponent this afternoon in the form of 24-year-old Francisco Cerundolo.
This is the first time he has won through qualifying at the US Open and he has yet to win through the first round at a Slam event.
But he did win his first 250 Series title in Sweden back in July. That followed a number of wins on the Challenger Circuit last year.
Currently No 275 in the world, Cerundolo took the scalp of Andrey Rublev in Hamburg earlier this year.
Mike Dickson in New York: Coaching from the stands is to be allowed on a trial basis at this year’s US Open, a move that has split the locker room.
Whatever an individual’s view, it is a major departure from the sport’s founding principles that a player is out there on their own and has to think for themselves about tactics.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has been regularly called for coaching violations, is unsurprisingly in favour. British No 1 Cam Norrie is among those against.
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Never again will Emma Raducanu be the innocent who turned up at Flushing Meadows last year. The one who was immediately banished to remote practice courts outside the grounds by a pitch-and-putt course, along with other qualifiers.
She acknowledges that sometimes her US Open crown, which she begins defending on Tuesday night, has weighed heavily.
‘You don’t have any time to switch off or be alone or do things you want to do. You’re constantly on guard,’ she reflected as she prepared to meet French veteran Alize Cornet.
It looked that way on Friday as Raducanu practised, in somewhat frustrated fashion, under the eye of recently recruited Russian coach Dmitry Tursunov, who has been taking her through this American tour.
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Andy Murray’s cramp issues remain a mystery after tests came back clear ahead of the US Open.
The 35-year-old has generally coped well with hot and humid conditions during his career but has struggled over the past few weeks, cramping in three different matches, including his loss to Cameron Norrie in Cincinnati last week.
Murray underwent sweat testing to try to get to the bottom of the problem but that did not flag up any issues.
“It was all good,” he said. “Sweat test was good. Blood test was good. No illnesses.”
While that is positive news, it still leaves Murray unsure as to the cause of the problem.
“I think it would be nice if you were one thing, you were deficient in something, maybe it is because of that,” he said.
“But at least I know now it is more down to either conditioning or hydration or food-related. That is something I can obviously control a little bit as well.
“But I feel like I am in decent shape so that it is why it is concerning. I don’t really know why it has happened. Last few days in practice I have actually felt a bit better in the conditions and everything so hopefully I will be all right on Monday.”
The US Open, the fourth and final Slam of the tennis year, gets underway in New York on Monday and promises to be as exciting as ever.
With 21-time major champion Novak Djokovic absent because of his Covid vaccination status, the men’s singles draw has been blown wide open.
And Emma Raducanu’s Flushing Meadows fairytale 12 months ago in the women’s event proves that anything can happen.
Sportsmail takes you through the potential winners as we buckle up for a fortnight of high quality tennis.
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Andy Murray wound back the clock on the eve of a US Open that marks a decade since he first became a grand slam champion.
It was at Flushing Meadows in 2012 that Murray made it across the line in his fifth slam final, defeating Novak Djokovic to lift the trophy on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
His most vivid memories are from before and after the final, with the Scot recalling: “I remember how I felt before the match. I remember being in the locker room on my own and feeling unbelievably nervous and feeling pretty lonely and kind of feeling a lot of pressure.
“I remember after the match going back on to the court before I left the venue. I just wanted to be out there on my own.
“I was very proud of myself. I didn’t feel like going wild and celebrating and that sort of stuff. I just felt quite relaxed and it was just such a big relief to get over that line.”
The near misses had added up for Murray since he made his first slam final in New York in 2008.
As well as three more finals he had lost six semi-finals and every slam brought with it the endless questions of when he would finally end Britain’s long wait for a male champion.
It was a dramatic tournament, with Murray coming from a set down against Marin Cilic in the quarter-finals and then again to beat Tomas Berdych amid a New York storm in the last four before Sir Sean Connery and Sir Alex Ferguson gatecrashed his press conference.
The final was suitably epic, with Djokovic threatening a comeback having been two sets down only for Murray to prevail in the decider.
“That was a huge moment for me,” Murray said. “I’d been put under a lot of pressure to try and achieve that. A lot of what I’d achieved in my career up to that point felt, to me anyway, kind of irrelevant because of the questions I’d continued to get asked about winning slams.
“Am I good enough? Am I fit enough? Am I mentally strong enough? Lots and lots of questions over a period of time.
“And it was nice to finally be able to move on from that because it’s not particularly helpful, and also the players I was competing against – maybe at the time they were all great players but not how everyone is seeing them now.
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“They’re pretty much being seen as the three best tennis players of all time, certainly on the men’s side. It wasn’t easy to win slams in this era. I was aware of that. But I don’t think everyone else was.”
Andy Murray’s association with this Slam goes all the way back to 2005 when, as a raw 18-year-old he played in the Big Apple for the first time, losing in the second round to fellow qualifier Arnaud Clement of France.
He made a big breakthrough here by battling through to the final in 2008, only to lose in straight sets to Roger Federer.
But 2012 was the one to remember as Murray won his first major title by overcoming Novak Djokovic in a five-set epic.
Since that point, Murray has been unable to get beyond the quarter-finals in seven more attempts.
His overall record in New York consists of 46 wins and 14 defeats, a win ratio of 77 per cent.
Arthur Ashe Stadium
Day session starts at 5pm BST
Daniil Medvedev (Rus) [1] v Stefan Kozlov (US)
Leolia Jeanjean (Fra) v Coco Gauff (US) [12]
Night session from midnight BST
Danka Kovinic (Mno) v Serena Williams (US)
Nick Kyrgios (Aus) [23] v Thanasi Kokkinakis (Aus)
Louis Armstrong Stadium
Day session starts at 4pm BST
Francisco Cerundolo (Arg) [24] v Andy Murray (GB)
Simona Halep (Rom) [7] v Daria Snigur (Ukr)
Madison Keys (US) [20] v Dayana Yastremska (Ukr)
Night session from midnight BST
Stefanos Tsitsipas (Gre) [4] v Daniel Elahi Galan (Col)
Leylah Fernandez (Can) [14] v Oceane Dodin (Fra)
The waiting is over – the fourth and final tennis Slam of the year is about to get underway in New York. And, as luck would have it, British favourite Andy Murray is among the first on court.
He takes on Argentine Francisco Cerundolo, the 24th seed at Flushing Meadows, in the Louis Armstrong Stadium at 4pm British time [11am US].
Unfortunately it hasn’t been the simplest of build-ups for the Scot, who is set to compete 9in his 16th US Open.
Murray, 35, has been suffering from cramp issues and required sweat tests ahead of the tournament to try and work out what was going on. But the tests haven’t flagged up any issues.
Let’s hope they don’t cause him any issues today as he takes on a very strong opponent in Cerundolo.
Welcome to our live coverage of this first round match.
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