Murray makes winning return

Players Under the Microscope / Editor / 14 February 2007 / Leave a Comment

Andy Murray cruised to victory in his return to the ATP Tour, beating Kevin Kim in straight sets at the San Jose Open.

The British number one claimed a 6-3 6-1 success over his American opponent, to set up a second round clash with Denmark's Kristian Pless.

The 19-year-old, who is defending his title this week, has not played since his run in the Australian Open and was pleased with his comeback.

Murray said: "My serve-and-volley game is much stronger. I hadn't been hitting the ball that well in practice because I'd been doing a lot of fitness work, but I think I played well.
"The court was probably 40% faster than last year, which I wasn't expecting."
The Scot added: "I'd probably like it a little bit slower, but I play pretty well indoors and I get a bit more on my serve, so that's good."

Third seed Murray is available at 3.8 to retain the SAP Open crown, with Andy Roddick and James Blake topping the market on 3.5.
Meanwhile, Marat Safin - who is through to the second round after a 6-4 7-6 win over Scott Oudsema - is trading at 8 to claim his first title of 2007.