Murray powers past Mathieu

(EPA)

Andy Murray made short work of his first-round match against French qualifier Paul-Henri Mathieu at the China Open in Beijing yesterday.

The Scot, seeded second, broke four times on the way to a 6-2, 6-3 success in one hour 14 minutes. Murray landed just 49 per cent of his first serves but still faced only two break points, saving them both.

Murray dominated on his opponent's second serve to advance. He said: "I thought I did well. I started the match well and didn't give him any opportunities really except in the second set, [at] 3-2 I think, was the only game where he had a couple of break points. It was a good first round."

The world No 4 struggled with illness last week. "I felt like I was out of breath when there were some long rallies. I am feeling better but I haven't practised that much."