Lightning start sees Murray cruise through

Andy Murray revealed a fast start was key as he brushed aside Joao Sousa and, crucially, conserved plenty of energy for the challenges which lie ahead at the Australian Open.

The world No 3 was too strong in every facet of the game as he won 6-2 6-2 6-4 against a game but outclassed opponent.

In temperatures which exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit, getting the job done quickly was vital and Murray was engaged for a mere 101 minutes as he booked his place in the third round against resurgent Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis.

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Murray admitted that getting out of the blocks so swiftly in the first set against the world 
No 100 from Portugal allowed him to tailor his game plan to the conditions.

He said: “I got up a couple of breaks pretty quickly in the first two sets so I could play, not loose points, but I could try to shorten the points, which helps.

“I also served well. I got a lot of free points on my serve.

“There were very few long rallies so it worked out well for me because it was really tough conditions.”

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The US Open and Olympic champion took to Hisense Arena in early afternoon and he said it became particularly difficult when the sun broke through the clouds.

“It was actually okay when the sun was in, but when it came out it got really hot, really quickly,” he added.

“It was a good match to get done in straight sets.”

Berankis thrashed 25th seed Florian Mayer for the loss of just six games.

“I have practised with Berankis a lot,” said Murray.

“He is a very hard worker; he has had a couple of injuries over the last couple of years and it will be tough.”

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Roger Federer swatted aside the challenge of Russian veteran Nikolay Davydenko to join title contenders Novak Djokovic and Murray in the third round.

Federer was at his elegant best to cruise through 6-3 6-4 6-4 and improve his head-to-head record against Davydenko to 18 wins from 20 matches.

The world No 2, bidding to become just the second man in history to claim five Australian Open crowns, will meet home hope Bernard Tomic.

Tomic earlier hit back to beat Daniel Brands in four sets, after which he talked up his chances of beating the 17-times major winner.

Sixth seed Juan Martin Del Potro and seventh seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also moved through.

Del Potro cruised past Benjamin Becker 6-2 6-4 6-2, and Tsonga saw off Japanese Go Soeda 6-3 7-6 (7/1) 6-3.

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