Ruthless Murray demolishes Martin

By Sarah Holt

Murray made amends for his first-round exit in 2006

Andy Murray produced a stunning display to beat Spain's Alberto Martin 6-0 6-0 6-1 and reach the second round of the Australian Open for the first time.

Martin was his own worst enemy as a rash of errors saw Murray break him three times to steamroll the opener.

The British 15th seed seemed set to record a rare whitewash but Martin sneaked onto the board in the 18th game before Murray served out for victory.

The Scot now faces another Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in the next round.

Highlights: Murray v Martin

Interview: British number one Andy Murray

Verdasco was lucky to get through to the second round as he was 6-7 (5-7) 4-6 6-6 down when his opponent Paul-Henri Mathieu retired with a twisted ankle.

Murray said after his match: "It was pretty easy. I was expecting a tough match but he gave me the chance to play my shots.

"I played pretty smart and did not go for too much. I was pretty happy with how I played.

"Maybe I could have served a bit better but it can't really start any better than this."

Murray hardly broke sweat, despite the day's sky-high temperatures, as he swept aside Martin in 70 minutes to add his name to the draw for the second round.

606: DEBATE There can be no doubt that Murray is a serious threat in this Open FY 606: Have your say

The prickling heat in Melbourne meant Murray and Martin's match was moved inside to the Vodafone Arena, and the indoor conditions worked in Murray's favour.

The British number one played a solid and controlled game with plenty of angled forehands and probing backhands to keep Martin at bay.

Nerves got the better of the Spanish world number 60 in his opening service game, when he hit a forehand long to hand Murray an easy break for a 2-0 lead.

From there it got worse, Martin made 19 unforced errors in the first set as Murray broke him twice more to race to the first set in as many minutes.

Murray carried the momentum with him and the second set played out as the first with the Scot securing three breaks to close out the set.

I wanted to win love, love and love but let it slip a little bit Andy Murray

Martin played some of his best tennis in the third set but offered little resistance to Murray, who dictated play with his easy movement around the court.

The Scot's hopes of a landmark "triple bagel" scoreline were thwarted by Martin when he strung together enough shots to hold for 5-1.

It was too late to save the match, however, as Murray served out with another big forehand.

Murray's result in the men's singles equalled the largest-ever victory at the Australian Open, in the Open Era, which began in 1968.

Sergi Bruguera was the last player to complete a Grand Slam whitewash at the French Open in 1993 when he demolished Thierry Champion.

"You probably get one chance to win a match in your lifetime 6-0 6-0 6-0," said Murray.

"I wanted to win love, love and love but let it slip a little bit."