31 May,2017 11:39 AM IST | Paris | Agencies
Upbeat Murray answers form-doubters with 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 first round win over Kuznetsov
Andy Murray
Britain's Andy Murray returns against Russia's Andrey Kuznetsov during French Open second round yesterday. Pic/AFP
Andy Murray answered doubts about his form and fitness with a four-set win over Andrey Kuznetsov in the opening round of the French Open.
It seemed like it could be a very difficult afternoon for the world number one when Russian Kuznetsov, ranked 73, won the second set. Murray looked fractious but he moved ahead early in the third set and got better and better, wrapping up a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 win in two hours and 32 minutes.
Murray said: "He goes for his shots, plays very aggressive, hits the ball pretty flat so he takes your time away. It was quite windy today. I started to feel a little bit better as the match went on but I expected a tough match because he's played well during the clay-court season."
Given his build-up, with only four wins on clay all season, and the heavy cold that affected him last week, it was difficult to know what to expect from Murray. Usually the early rounds of grand slams are expected to be smooth sailing, even if in reality they do not turn out that way.
Handshake snub
Top seed Murray will play Martin Klizan of Slovakia who was accused a faking an injury in his five-set win over French wildcard Laurent Lokoli. Lokoli was so angry at Klizan's actions on court that he refused to shake hands with his opponent.
Zverev out, Kyrgios through
Meanwhile, Alexander Zverev crashed out in the first round yesterday as Stan Wawrinka moved through. Zverev slumped to a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 defeat to Spain's Fernando Verdasco.
Earlier, Nick Kyrgios downed Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.
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