World No.2 Andy Murray moved into the Third Round of Wimbledon with an emphatic 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 victory over Yen-Hsun Lu.
The Scot was forced to weather the early storm when the man from Chinese Taipei broke early, though he regained his composure to close out the first set and continued to play a level of tennis that justifies many pre-tournament predictions that he can topple Novak Djokovic in a Grand Slam for the first time since his triumph at SW19 three years ago.
He will meet Australian John Millman in the Third Round on Saturday.
Swift recovery
Murray hadn’t dropped a set against Lu since his morale-sapping reverse at the Olympics in 2008 but was under duress early. Few can doubt 32-year-old’s speed off the baseline and he applied it well to fashion two break points during the Scot’s opening and convert with a sumptuous dropshot.
The man from Chinese Taipei had came out firing, his forehands forcing Murray to stretch every sinew. Only fourteen minutes had elapsed and the veteran had constructed a comfortable 3-1 lead.
Yet the world No.2 weathered the storm and unlocked a break of serve almost instantaneously, triumphing during the longest rally of the set and capitalising with the sun starting to break through the clouds that have bedevilled the opening week in SW19.
Lu’s first serve began to desert him and, perhaps perturbed by the sun, the 32-year-old found himself issuing three break points to the 2013 Champion and, before long, was returning to save the set.
The deflated Lu constructed two break points in the closing service game but had only himself to blame when the Scot crashed down a 124mph serve to claim the opening set.
Commanding control
The 32-year-old had scarcely recovered from his exertions in the first set before he was broken in meticulous fashion to open the second set.
Lu steadied himself, assembling break point on Murray’s service, but found it difficult to restore parity and the British No.1 closed in on the second set.
In fact, such was the unwavering pressure applied by the Scot, he gained the double break after Lu double faulted with Murray purring with several dropshots.
Murray then closed out the second set in commanding fashion.
Three break points quickly arrived on Lu’s opening service game of the third set and, after ballooning a forehead out of bounds, now faced a near impossible battle.
Defeat was all but confirmed when the Scot claimed a double break, his second of the afternoon, with a supreme offensive-looking dropshot.
Murray proceeded and claimed the match on a double fault.