Murray ready to go up a gear

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 12:47

Britain’s Murray, the world number two, brushed aside American wild card Taylor Dent in straight sets, 6-3 6-2 6-2, wrapping up Sunday night’s match at Arthur Ashe Stadium in 90 minutes to reach the last 16 of the final grand slam of the year.

“He’s tough, he’s top 20, got a big serve,” Murray said of 20-year-old Cilic, whom he has beaten in each of their previous meetings. “It’s kind of similar to (first-round opponent Ernests) Gulbis, just a lot more solid.”

He added: “I’ll have to make sure I return well against him, because he’s got a good serve, and be solid from the back of the court.

“I’m not going to get as many free points on my own serve, because he returns a bit better than Taylor. It’s going to be a tough match.”

Cilic was a 6-1 6-4 6-3 winner over Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin on Sunday and will prove an altogether tougher opponent than world number 195 Dent.

But if Murray maintains the prodigious return of service he deployed against Dent, Cilic could be in for a rough ride.

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