MELBOURNE — Andy Murray executed his game-plan to negate the one booming weapon that Sam Groth possessed to beat the unseeded Australian 6-0 6-4 6-1 and advance to the third round of the Australian Open on Thursday.
Murray had said after the first round that he knew exactly what to expect against Groth -- big serve and a large frame to chip or pass at the net -- and the 28-year Briton did exactly what he needed to leave his opponent scrambling from the outset.
The world number two took 29 minutes to race through the first set, which included a nine-minute fourth game, and while Groth's serve found its range in the second, Murray still managed to pull out the big points when he needed.