Tuesday 19 May 2015 14:00, UK
Andy Murray maintained his momentum on clay by dispatching Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-4 6-3 to reach the third round of the Rome Masters.
Murray had considered missing the tournament to ensure he was fresh for the French Open later this month but opted to play on after winning back-to-back titles in Munich and Madrid - his first titles on clay.
The word No 3, who has not lost a match since marrying long-term girlfriend Kim Sears last month, produced some scintillating tennis at times to make it a 10th straight win on the red dirt, three of them against top-10 opponents, in the last fortnight.
Murray hit 19 winners and made just 10 unforced errors to defeat 38th-ranked Chardy in an hour and 24 minutes as he continued his acclimatisation on clay at sea level after his success at altitude in the Spanish capital.
"My legs were a bit tired at the start but they started to feel better after a few games," said Murray. "I played a good match.
"He (Chardy) has a big serve, it was tough for me. But I hung in, moved well and didn't give him loads of opportunities. I served well throughout the match.
"I'm happy with how I adjusted to conditions, I made it difficult for him to win free points.
"I don't know how my body will feel over the next days, but I'll try to spend as much time recovering and resting as possible."
Chardy surrendered two break points against the Murray serve in the sixth game in what proved to be a crucial moment in the match.
The two-time Grand Slam champion then seized on a double-fault from Chardy before hitting a trademark backhand cross-court winner to claim a vital break of serve, and it was plain-sailing from there.
Impregnable
Murray's serve, which has been a noticeable improvement in recent months, looked impregnable on a hot day in the Italian capital and wasted little time in closing out the opening set.
Chardy's game began to unravel with a series of unforced errors while Murray continued his dominance from the baseline.
He made the breakthrough early in the second before breaking his dejected opponent for a third time to claim an easy win.
Murray will be aiming to continue his excellent run of form having reached at least the quarter-finals in 16 of his last 17 tournaments dating back to Wimbledon last year, which is the highest percentage on tour over the last 10 months.
He is in line to meet world No 1 and defending champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals but must first take on the winner of the match between David Goffin and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for a place in the last eight.
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