Andy Murray cruises past Francisco Cerúndolo in US Open first round

For much of this most challenging period of Andy Murray’s career, as he has encountered problems that would not have occurred with younger legs and a more functional hip, he has continually explained what still drives him each day. He believes there is something left in him, even if he is not exactly sure how far he can go. Most important, he believes the evidence is there, laid out in his numerous strong performances against top players over the past year.

Ten years on from his maiden grand slam win on these grounds, he pieced together another strong performance. Murray played a clean, disciplined match that was even more one-sided than the scoreline suggests, neutralising the No 24 seed, Francisco Cerúndolo, and his nuclear forehand in the suffocating New York humidity to reach the second round of the US Open with a 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 win. The victory marks Murray’s first straight-sets grand slam win since Wimbledon 2017, when he was ranked No 1.

“It felt like five sets to me,” he said afterwards, laughing. “Very, very tricky conditions today. Very humid and hot. Really happy with the way I got through that one. It’s not easy, he’s had a very good season.”

Despite the fact that Murray arrived on court with a clear opportunity, it was not a simple task. Cerúndolo, a 24 year-old Argentinian, has gained more than 100 ranking spots this year and reached a recent career high ranking of 24 after starting the season 127th.

The early months of Cerúndolo’s breakthrough year included a run to the semi-final on the hard courts of the Miami Masters 1000 event in March. But since then, his best results, including his first career title last month in Båstad, have come on clay. He arrived in New York having lost in the first round of his