The first match back in Australia for Andy Murray did not go well as the British player found himself beaten by clay expert Facundo Bagnis 6-3 5-7 6-3.
Murray traveled to Australia for the first time in two years in hopes of playing some strong tennis there. It's one of his favorite stretches of the year and after a solid outing in Abu Dhabi, fans were optimistic that Murray would be able to score a decent result.
His first match there proved there is a lot more work to be done. The British player took on clay expert Facundo Bagnis in an interesting matchup between a lefty and righty. Bagnis is not a strong hard-court player but he will beat you if you give him the chance. Early on it was Murray with the chances having several break points that he failed to convert.
The lone one he allowed his opponent was converted and the Argentinian did not look back. He took the first set with 6-3. Murray needed to up his serving percentage as he was very dominant when he hit his first serve. That happened in the 2nd set and it was a much better set by Murray. He was able to create a lot of chances for himself on return and eventually won the 2nd set with 7-5.
It was not a perfect match for Murray as he missed a lot of chances overall but there were some good moments in there. The deciding 3rd set was played badly by Murray. He was nervous, he rushed, he did not have a clear plan and Bagnis simply stood back and reaped the benefits. Poor serving, many mistakes, visible frustration was too much to overcome, and Bagnis cruise to a 6-3 finish.
#76 Facundo Bagnis gets a very nice win on Rod Laver Arena over 5 times #AusOpen finalist Andy Murray, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 to reach the 2nd round of the Melbourne ATP 250. Murray, who played some great tennis in Abu Dhabi, was miles away from that level today...
