It was not even his most emphatic first round victory at the Australian Open - that came against Alberto Martin of Spain three years ago when he dropped only a single game - but Andy Murray’s opening to the first grand slam tournament of the year was about as comfortable as he would have wanted on a day when protection from the elements was the priority.
Playing for the first time under the closed roof on Rod Laver Arena, Murray rarely broke sweat as he despatched Kevin Anderson, the 6ft 8in South African qualifier 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 in an hour and 37 minutes. As the first week of a grand slam is all about conserving energy and limiting the dramas, the first seed could hardly have been more content with his afternoon’s work.
Outside the main arena, matches were consistently interrupted as showers raced across the city but with the roof drawn shut, it paid to be one of the stars of the show. Murray had drawn quizzical looks for deciding to open his year by playing the Hyundai Hopman Cup, a mixed event played under indoors in Perth. What a paradox that his first match that counted for points and progress in 2010, should be played in precisely the same conditions.
All of which conspired to hurt Anderson, who might have wanted to test Murray’s resolve in a stiff breeze, with the sun playing tricks rather than the still half light of an enclosed stadium. There were never enough classic rallies to get the crowd truly involved, allowing Murray to play at his own pace, which he either picked up or slacked off at his own volition. A couple of minor lapses - he dropped serve when leading 3-1 in the third set - ought not to trouble him unduly.
In his three matches to reach the main draw, Anderson had not dropped serve. Murray interrupted that sequence in his first service game yesterday and continually picked off the world No 145 at will. The one element of his own game that may disturb Murray was his own first service percentage in the mid-30s, something he will need to step up as the championship unfolds.
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In almost every other respect, this was exactly what he would have wanted, a brief work-out, the ability to test his reflexes and strategies and nothing untoward happening in the process. In the second round, he will meet either Marc Gicquel of France or Simone Bolelli of Italy. Certainly, more difficult tests await. It turned out to be an excellent day for the two British No 1 players, for Elena Baltacha played with resolution and bravery to defeat Pauline Parmentier, of France, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, to reach the second round here for a second consecutive year.
Had Baltacha not prevailed, she knew she would tumble out of the world’s top 100, an element which turned the pressure up a notch a level or two. It did not help that she suffered from cramps in the third set and that rain drops fell intermittently during the day, forcing breaks of momentum and concentration. As she was shaking hands with the umpire at the end, a cloudburst cleared all the outside courts of players. Baltacha will meet the No 30 seed, Kateryna Bondarenko, of Ukraine, in the second round.