It's a breeze for Andy as his doctor steals show

Murray was not unduly stretched by Kendrick
14 April 2012

Team Murray were on top form on Sunday with a victory on the court and some quick thinking off it.

Andy Murray beat Robert Kendrick 6-3, 6-1 with a few deft swishes of his racket to move into the fourth round of the Sony Ericsson Open at Key Biscayne without wasting undue energy.

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Meanwhile, his fitness guru and doctor Jean-Pierre Bruyere played the role of superhero by hurdling a fence to aid a female spectator who had fainted in the sticky Miami heat.

To cap off a lunchtime hour to be savoured, Murray drew louder cheers than his American opponent first as he stepped on to court and then as he was introduced to the crowd on Grandstand Court.

Days like these are becoming commonplace as Murray closes in inexorably on a place in the world's top 10. That milestone could be reached later this week, although for that to happen it is almost certain that he will have to reach the semi-finals at least.

The serenity of his progress through the early rounds of tournaments is increasingly impressive. Journeymen players like Kendrick are being sent back to the locker room to shower and pick up their pay cheques with the minimum of fuss.

At least the American is £10,000 richer than he believed he was going to be last Thursday when, having lost in the qualifying competition, he spent the evening watching college basketball on television and drinking vodka shots.

Just before 11 o'clock the following morning, Kendrick got the call to tell him he was back in the tournament as a lucky loser courtesy of Lleyton Hewitt's dodgy back.

In spite of the lingering effects of the vodka, he eased past Raemon Sluiter to set up the meeting with Murray. Yesterday he lost again, but there is no reason to drown his sorrows this time.

Better players than the 27-year-old Californian, who came within a tiebreak of beating Rafael Nadal in straight sets at last year's Wimbledon, are being swept aside by Murray.

After a few early exchanges to size up his opponent, Murray began to cut swathes through Kendrick's defences.

The lucky loser has a career-high ranking of 90 for a reason. Understanding when to attack and when to temper his natural aggression is an art form that Kendrick, unlike Murray, has yet to master.

Murray said: Against someone him who has a big serve and is erratic, you have to give him an opportunity to miss.

In those conditions, you have to decide whether you're going to be ultra aggressive or not. He played high-risk tennis and made a few mistakes because of it. I decided to put a lot of balls in court. The first set was a bit tricky. I had a few chances early on and didn't take them, but after that it was fine.'

There were moments in which Murray toyed with his opponent. The rope-a-dope drop-shot trick has always been one of his favourites, yet Kendrick was clearly caught unaware.

A gentle dink over the net drew the American in and a volleyed lob back over Kendrick's head did the rest.

The decisive breakthrough in the match came immediately after Bruyere's James Bond act. At a changeover, the concern over the welfare of a female fan in an adjoining stand was obvious.

Bruyere leapt from his seat, clambered over the advertising hoarding and scaled the wall that separated him from the spectator to offer first aid to the stricken woman.

They were actions so swift that Murray, towel in hand at the changeover, missed them. He said: I knew what was going on at the changeover, but I didn't see Jean-Pierre go over to help.'

Whether the incident disturbed Kendrick's concentration is debatable. He had struggled to hold on to his serve when he threw in a rogue game at 2-3, losing his range with his forehand and ballooning the ball everywhere but inside the court.

Having seized the advantage, Murray never looked remotely like surrendering it. He has lost just four times this year — on each occasion to a member of the current top 10. He knows that his game belongs among the elite, even if the rankings are yet to confirm that fact.

The second set was a masterclass in the art of allowing an opponent to beat himself. Murray kept the ball in court with monotonous regularity and sprinkled his consistency with just enough flicks and passes to tease Kendrick into attempting shots he was not capable of playing.

The American self-destructed, never more so than with a wayward double-fault that set up match-point for the 19-year-old Scot.

An hour and two minutes in the Floridian sunshine and another step towards the elite had been taken.

There was one disappointment for the Murray family yesterday, however. Elder brother Jamie and partner Eric Butorac were beaten 7-5, 6-0 in the first round of the men's doubles by top seeds Jonas Bjorkman and Max Mirnyi.

On the Stadium Court, Martina Hingis saw a glimpse of the past and the future at the same time as she fell 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.

The 18-year-old, who won the girls' singles at both Wimbledon and the French Open during her junior career, was a reminder to Hingis of the precocious teenager that she herself once was and of the difficulties that the Swiss Miss faces to regain her former eminence.

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