LONDON: Andy Murray emerged unscathed as he completed a rain-delayed 6-3, 7-6 (4) win over Frenchman Nicolas Mahut at the Aegon Championships on Thursday in his first match following a four-week break caused by a back injury.
The top seed, who missed the French Open after being struck down in Rome, needed only 45 minutes on day four of the Wimbledon warm-up event to ease past Mahut.
Murray faced a busy day at a cold and damp Queen’s Club.
He was later back on court again for a third-round match against Australian Marinko Matosevic as organisers tried to get the grass court event back on schedule.
His second match, however, was even easier than his first, as he defeated the Aussie 6-2, 6-2.
“It is tough to get into a rhythm with all the delays. I managed to get through it in the end and hopefully it’s a good warm-up for later,” Murray said in a courtside interview after the Mahut match.
“Missing the French Open was tough. You realise how much it means to you.
“(Today) the back felt great especially with the conditions we have had. It is very cold and I’m sure, as anyone who has had a back problem knows, that’s not good.
“But even with all the stopping and starting it feels great and that is probably the most satisfying thing about the match.”
Resuming at 6-3, 2-2, Murray rattled through a brisk second set and brought up match point by threading a screaming forehand down the line winner.
Moments later he finished off Mahut, who will long be remembered for his record 11 hour five minute epic against American John Isner at Wimbledon in 2010, with a blazing passing shot.
Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was another player who had to put in a double shift on Thursday after beating compatriot Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-3 to reach the third round.
Fourth seed Tsonga, who reached the French Open semifinals last week, did not have things all his own way on a still slippery centre court and was taken to a deciding set.
Tsonga completed victory with an ace after one hour 49 minutes.
He later went up against Dutchman Igor Sijsling and was stretched to three sets once again, but came through 7-5, 5-7, 6-3.
Former champion Lleyton Hewitt showed he can still do damage on the slick grass as he hustled past big-serving American sixth seed Sam Querrey 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in a third-round encounter.
Second-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych also found his groove to record a 6-3, 6-4 third-round win over Slovenia’s Grega Zemlja.
In other results, fifth seed Marin Cilic of Croationcame from a set down to defeat Spain’s Feliciano Lopez 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-5.
Third-seeded Argentine Juan Martin del Potro beat Britain’s Daniel Evans 6-0, 6-3.
The one upset of the day saw seventh seed Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine lose to Germany’s Benjamin Becker 6-7 (5), 5-7. (Reuters)