MELBOURNE (Reuters) - A merciless Andy Murray kept his unbeaten record over Australian players intact with a dominant 6-1 6-3 6-2 win over Marinko Matosevic to advance to the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday.
Bidding for his maiden title at Melbourne Park after three trips to the final, the sixth-seeded Briton stormed out of the blocks to wrap up the first set in 21 minutes, conceding only eight points on a steamy day at Margaret Court Arena.
Matosevic, a feisty journeyman ranked 81st in the world, broke Murray's serve in the second set to the annoyance of the Scot, but the 29-year-old was powerless to match his opponent's baseline firepower and surrendered in 102 minutes with a forehand clubbed long.
Murray improved to 10-0 against players from Australia with the win and advanced to meet Portugal's Joao Sousa, who advanced after Slovakian Martin Klizan retired in the fourth set of their second round encounter.