Andy Murray doesn’t believe in fate.
Three years ago he brushed aside the challenge of Yen-Hsun Lu to reach the third round at Wimbledon – and five wins later ended a home wait of 77 years for a men’s single champion.
No surprise then if his fans will hope an equally commanding 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 victory over the same opponent is a positive omen of things to come, even if their hero isn’t superstitious.
Lu, the Taiwanese world number 76, famously beat Murray at the Beijing Olympics and had won 11 matches in a row on grass in recent weeks.
He started in style, breaking the world number two’s serve but Murray responded by winning 17 of the next 20 games in ruthless and clinical fashion.
He fired down 23 winners, broke serve five times and dropped just 11 points on his own serve, wrapping up another straight sets win in one hour and 40 minutes.
So far, so good for Murray – who is determined to maintain his energies for the tougher challenges ahead, with Australia’s John Millman, who beat French 26th seed Benoit Paire, next up on Saturday.
The pair have played just once, Murray winning in Brisbane three years ago.
“If you can win matches easily it does help because you can rest and it has been a good start for me,” said Murray.
“I’ve started well here a few times over the years but this was a good match for me and an improvement from the first round, hopefully I can start the next match like I finished this one because that was good tennis.
“I will just try and do my best – work hard, keep my head down and hopefully have a good tournament
“I didn’t really know John before we played in Brisbane but he played extremely well and took it to three sets. He moves well and has a great attitude, so it will be another test.”
Murray is joined in the third round by fellow Brit Dan Evans, who beat number 30 seed Alexandr Dolgopolov 7-6, 6-4, 6-1 to set up a clash with seven-time champion Roger Federer.
“I genuinely probably didn’t think I’d ever get a chance to play him,” said Evans, who fired down 13 aces and 39 winners and made just 14 unforced errors – numbers to get the Swiss legend thinking.
“I wasn’t that confident playing Dolgopolov, it’s a tough match. Federer is there in the next round if I beat Dolgopolov but it’s a big ‘if’.
“I’m not going to go out there to be just another guy he rolls. I’m going to put up a good fight.
“It’s going to be a great experience and hopefully an even better one than most people think. I’ll enjoy every minute of it, to be honest with you, whatever the score.”
