Doha: Former World No.1 and two-time Doha Winner Andy Murray began his campaign in the 2022 Qatar ExxonMobil Open with an empathic 6-2, 6-2 win over Japanese Taro Daniel at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex on Tuesday.
The 34-year-old Briton recently back in the ATP top 100 – who lost to the Japanese at the Australian Open played at a different level to the one at Melbourne Park, to emerge a clear winner in Doha.
On Doha courts, Murray was very solid on his first serve and mixed it with a few defensive shots which gave glimpses of the high notch tennis he has been known for over the last few years.
The four-time finalist in Doha hit 11 winners and broke Daniel, ranked 110th on the ATP computer, twice to ease to the first set.
Daniel broke in the first game of the second set to momentarily halt the Murray charge, but a trademark backhand winner that sealed an immediate break back was typical of how the Scot struck the ball throughout and he went on to seal victory in one hour, 20 minutes.
The three-time Grand Slam winner thus advanced into the second round of the ATP 250 tournament and will face last year’s runner-up Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, for a place in the quarterfinals.
The Brit will be seeking to increase his 3-1 lead over the World No. 16 Spaniard when the two former champions meet in Doha. Murray’s two titles came in 2008 and 2009, while Bautista Agut won in 2019.
Earlier, seventh seed Alexander Bublik beat Slovakian qualifier Jozef Kovalik 6-2, 6-4 with a powerful performance.
The World No. 31 Kazakh hit 25 winners including seven aces, breaking his opponent four times to reach the second round in Doha for the third consecutive year. He now faces Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech, who defeated Jiri Vesely 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4.
Source: Qatar Olympic Committee