Australian Open 2013: Fast start was key to victory, says Andy Murray

Andy Murray believes that a fast start was the key to his 6-2 6-2 6-4 second-round victory over Portugal’s Joao Sousa at the Australian Open.

The British No1 had to contend with hot conditions, with temperatures soaring to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, as he took the opening two sets in a brisk 64 minutes.

Aided by an impressive five aces, Murray wrapped up the final set 6-4 and the US Open champion will now face world No110 Ricardas Bernakis in the third round.

“I got up a couple of breaks pretty quickly in the first two sets so I could try to shorten the points, which helps,” said Murray.

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

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

He added: “When the sun came out, it was extremely hot. When it wasn’t, it was fine. There was no humidity.

“They said it was like eight per cent humidity. When you get the combination of the heat and the humidity is when it’s normally at its worst.

“I’ve played in worse conditions, but it’s still very hot.”

Murray has experience of Bernakis after the 25-year-old practiced with the Lithuanian ahead of his Brisbane International triumph earlier this month.

“I actually hit with him a lot [in Brisbane],” added Murray.

“I trained with him before the Australian Open last year. I practiced with him in Brisbane and I practiced with him a couple times before he started the qualifying last year.

“He works hard. He’s a really nice, really nice guy. It’s nice to see him do well because we spent quite a bit of time practicing together.”