Andy Murray’s quest for a first Australian Open title is still very much alive after recording a straight-sets win against Sam Groth in the second round on Thursday. Murray will look to keep the momentum going this coming Saturday when he takes on Portuguese sensation Joao Sousa.
Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this mouth-watering third-round matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the round-of-32 clash between Stan Wawrinka and Lukas Rosol.
Andy Murray secured a place in the third round of the Australian Open with an easy 6-0, 6-4, 6-1 win over power server Sam Groth at Rod Laver Arena on Thursday. It was a dominant performance from the Briton who needed just one hour and 30 minutes to see off the Australian.
[sc:AUS15-250 ]Murray, who recorded his first career victory against Groth, blasted 35 winners and won 82 percent of his first serve points. What proved to be the difference in the match, though, was Murray’s highly-efficient play. He committed just 11 unforced errors against Groth.
Murray will look to continue his hot streak when he takes on Joao Sousa in the third round. The second seed will fancy his chances of doing just that as he has fared extremely well against the Portuguese in the past. Murray has beaten Sousa in each of their last six meetings with the Briton dropping just one set during that span.
Joao Sousa is through to the third round of the Australian Open after a hard-fought 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Santiago Giraldo on Thursday. It was a battling performance from the 26-year-old who needed two hours and 38 minutes to record the marathon win.
The road to the title will only get tougher for Sousa as standing in his way in the round of 32 is four-time Australian Open runner-up Andy Murray. The world no. 2 has dropped just 11 games in this tournament thus far. For Sousa to record a major shock in the next round, the Portuguese needs to dominate with his service game. Sousa’s serve was solid against Giraldo as he converted 64 percent of his first serves. Sousa took full advantage of that fact, winning 52 of his 64 first serve points for a solid 81 percent clip.
Sousa also needs to impose his aggressive style of play if he is to upset Murray. He won seven of his 10 net points against Giraldo in the previous round. Sousa has won 71 percent (15-of-21) of his total net points in the entire tournament thus far.
