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October 4, 2016

Andy Murray cruises into China Open second round as rejuvenated Scot targets No 1 ranking

Andy Murray proved his fitness as he advanced to the second round of the China Open in Beijing.

The world No 2 was playing his first competitive match since his Davis Cup win over Guido Pella a fortnight ago, where he suffered a thigh injury, and he got back in the groove with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Andreas Seppi.

There were doubts whether the Scot would compete in the 2008 Olympics host city after the injury in Glasgow came at the end of a punishing schedule over the summer, which saw him lose just four matches since the end of May.

Andy Murray takes a selfie with fans having wrapped up his straight-sets victory in Beijing

Andy Murray takes a selfie with fans having wrapped up his straight-sets victory in Beijing

The British No 1 fires down a forehand on route to a 6-2, 7-5 triumph against Andreas Seppi

The British No 1 fires down a forehand on route to a 6-2, 7-5 triumph against Andreas Seppi

The world No 2  s a volley during his first match since Davis Cup action a fortnight ago

The world No 2 plays a volley during his first match since Davis Cup action a fortnight ago

But, with a shot at the No 1 ranking in mind and no Novak Djokovic in the draw, Murray stuck to his itinerary and got the job done in straight sets against the Italian.

After an even start, Murray, the top seed, took the game by the scruff of the neck by reeling off four successive games which earned him the first set.

A double fault handed Seppi a break early in the second set, but Murray was able to recover the situation and after breaking back to take it to 2-2, he delivered another, decisive blow, at 6-5 to claim victory.

He will __play Konstantin Kravchuk or Andrey Kuznetsov in the second round, with a potential match-up against British No 2 Kyle Edmund in the quarter-finals. 

Murray was clinical in the first set, reeling off four successive games to earn a 6-2 lead

Murray was clinical in the first set, reeling off four successive games to earn a 6-2 lead

Seppi, currently ranked at world No 94, directs a backhand during his clash with Murray

Seppi, currently ranked at world No 94, directs a backhand during his clash with Murray

Murray, slicing a backhand facing Seppi, is targeting Novak Djokovic

Murray, slicing a backhand facing Seppi, is targeting Novak Djokovic's No 1 ranking

The Scot was asked to use a selfie stick to take a picture after his win but it didn

The Scot was asked to use a selfie stick to take a picture after his win but it didn't seem to work

 

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