Andy Murray got his 2023 Zhuhai Championships campaign underway by taking on a much lower-ranked native player, Ye Cong Mo, and he didn't have too many issues winning in two sets.
Getting used to playing in Asia again took Murray a while, so the opening set progressed slowly. The Brit, who recently enjoyed Davis Cup progression, didn't have many problems on his serve in the opening set, but he struggled to break down his opponent, who was playing a pretty solid match.
Mo isn't a known player and isn't highly ranked on the ATP Tour, but he certainly left a solid impression, breaking down only late in the first set under tremendous pressure from Murray. The Chinese player opted for an aggressive approach and had 14 winners and only eight unforced errors.
Murray posted better numbers, obviously having 13 winners and 4 unforced errors, which allowed him to cruise without facing a single break point in the first set. The crucial thing for Murray on hard courts will always be his serve.
He didn't have an issue with it today, which made things a lot easier for him, but he's been prone to missing his serve, which will present some problems. The second set was a bit easier for Murray overall, as his Chinese player couldn't hold up the level from the opening set.
Even so, the Brit nearly complicated things for himself in the first game of the second set because he was down 0-40 on his serve before saving and winning those break points. That was the final push from the Mo, and after that, he simply folded.
The final score was 7-5 6-3 for Murray who had 10 aces along with 27 winners and only 8 unforced errors. A really solid performance against an opponent who is not on his level so that's a good way to return to China and adjust with an easier match.
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