Andy Murray emerged unscathed as he completed a rain-delayed 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) win over Frenchman Nicolas Mahut at the Aegon Championships on Thursday in his first match following a four-week break caused by a back injury.
The top seed, who missed the French Open after being struck down in Rome, needed only 45 minutes on day four of the Wimbledon warm-up event to ease past Mahut.
Murray faces a busy day ahead at a cold and damp Queen’s Club. He will be back on court again for a third-round match against Australian Marinko Matosevic as organisers try to get the grasscourt event back on schedule.
“It is tough to get into a rhythm with all the delays. I managed to get through it in the end and hopefully it's a good warm-up for later,” Murray said in a courtside interview.
Resuming at 6-3, 2-2, Murray rattled through a brisk second set and brought up match point by threading a screaming forehand down the line winner.
Moments later he finished off Mahut, who will long be remembered for his record 11 hour five minute epic against American John Isner at Wimbledon in 2010, with a blazing passing shot.
Former champion Lleyton Hewitt showed he can still do damage on the slick grass as he hustled past big-serving American sixth seed Sam Querrey 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in a third-round encounter.
Second-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych also found his groove to record a 6-3, 6-4 third-round win over Slovenia’s Grega Zemlja.
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