Andy Murray’s quest for a first ever French Open title is off to a rousing start after brushing aside Argentine Facundo Arguello in the opening round on Monday. Murray will look to continue his excellent form on clay this coming Thursday when he takes on Joao Sousa.
Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this second-round matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the match between John Isner and Jeremy Chardy.
Andy Murray barged into the second round of the 2015 French Open with an emphatic 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 win over unseeded Facundo Arguello at Roland Garros on Monday. It was a resounding performance from the British No. 1 who needed just one hour and 45 minutes to see off the Argentinian.
[sc:Other240banner ]Murray has been simply unstoppable on clay this season. With his victory against Arguello, he extended his record on clay this year to a perfect 11-0. The No. 3 seed was clinical in his first-round win against Arguello, hitting 21 winners, converting six of eight break-point chances and winning 14 of his 16 net approaches. Of course, it also helped matters that Arguello committed a whopping 40 unforced errors in the match.
Murray will look to continue his hot streak when he takes on Joao Sousa in the second round. He will fancy his chances of doing just that as he has fared extremely well against the Portuguese in the past. He has yet to taste defeat against Sousa in their previous five meetings with Murray winning all of those matches in straight sets.
Murray has already met Sousa twice in a Grand Slam tournament before. He defeated Sousa, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 in the 2013 Australian Open. They squared off with each other again in the Australian Open earlier this year with Murray winning in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1, 7-5.
Joao Sousa booked a spot in the second round of the French Open with a convincing 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-1 win over Vasek Pospisil. It was a solid performance from Sousa who needed just one hour and 54 minutes to oust the Canadian star.
Things are bound to get tougher for Sousa, though, as he next faces the red-hot Andy Murray. The Briton is still unbeaten on clay this year, having grabbed tournament victories at Munich and Madrid. That being said, Sousa will be licking his chops at the prospect of facing a player who looked far from perfect in the opening round.
Although Murray did win his first round encounter in straight sets, he had difficulty getting his first serves in the entire match. Murray only converted 63% (46-of-73) of his first serves against Arguello. That’s great news for Sousa who looked impeccable with his return against Pospisil. He won 49% (55-of-112) of his receiving points against the 53rd-ranked Canadian with Sousa converting seven of his 14 break-point opportunities.
For Sousa to record a major shock, though, he needs to improve on his service game, particularly his first serve. He converted just 63% (48-of-76) of his first serves against Pospisil with Sousa winning 40 of his 48 first serve points. That simply won’t do against Murray who’s playing the best clay-court tennis of his life right now.
This will be the sixth meeting between Murray and Sousa but only their first on the slow surface. Sousa suffered a 6-0, 6-2 humiliation at the hands of Murray in their last meeting at Dubai this past February.
Sousa is 6-4 in his last 10 matches.
Writer’s Prediction
Murray destroys Sousa in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.
