Andy Murray returns to winning ways with Queen’s Club victory over Benoit Paire

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Andy Murray had the simplest of returns to action at Queen’s Club on Tuesday with a straight-sets victory in his first singles match for three months.

But trying to work out quite how much to read from his 6-3 6-2 victory over Benoit Paire – only his second on the ATP Tour this season – was virtually impossible such was the relative nonchalance of the mercurial Frenchman.

Murray could rarely have picked an easier opening challenge in the first round of the Cinch Championships against a former top-20 player, who blows hot and cold from one match to the next.

This was a Paire non-plussed with being out on court virtually from the outset; Murray, in his first singles match on the grass in three years, sealed the win in just 65 minutes.

Afterwards, an emotional Murray said: “The body’s old but I did quite well today in terms of my movement. That’s my first match on grass in three years.

“I’ve only played three or four practice sets in the build-up to this so I didn’t know how I’d play or feel. But for a first match, it was good.

“I love playing tennis. Competing is why you put in all the hard work. In the last few years, I’ve not got to do that as much as I’d like. So, great to be out here and competing again.”

It was here at Queen’s that Murray marked his return from hip surgery in the doubles in 2019, which proved a fairytale week ending with the doubles title alongside Feliciano Lopez.

Another title here – what would be his sixth in the singles at Queen’s – look to be beyond the realms of possibility and he faces No1 seed Matteo Berrettini in the next round.

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Murray is unlikely to have much in the way of physical hardship to get through in the aftermath of this win, although there were concerns as the Briton slipped and let out a yelp as he felt to the ground in only his second service game.

But he seemed unduly concerned, grunting and shouting his way to the ball for a winner down the line to take the opening break for a 3-1 lead. He found himself under pressure on his next service game at 0-30 but held serve with his ace, and landed another ace to take the opening set just over the half-hour mark.

There were two more breaks in the second set, clipping the line with a lovely crosscourt backhand as Paire approached the net to go 3-2 and then again 5-2 from which he served out the match.

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