Somdev doesn’t give many free points to opponents: Murray

New York: Britain’s Andy Murray is a relieved man following his first round US Open win over Indian star Somdev Devvarman, who he believes is a solid player who doesn’t give many free points to his opponents.

Murray, the number four seed, was made to work hard in the early stages at New York’s Arthur Ashe Stadium, but came through 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 6-3, after two hours and 27 minutes. He also said that he had the benefit of inside information from his friend and hitting partner Dani Vallverdu, who met the Indian several times on the American college circuit. “He’s very solid. I’ve seen a little bit of him before. I watched a few videos of him the last couple of days just to see what his game was like. He doesn’t give you many free points, especially early on in the match. You have to get him to work hard before he starts making mistakes,” Murray said. “I was a little bit nervous at the start and making some bad decisions. Then once I calmed down, I felt better the middle of the first set and started hitting the ball a little bit better. The second and third sets were good. I was hitting the ball pretty clean,” he added. Murray will now face Dutchman Robin Haase in the second round. Bureau Report