Andy Murray booked his place in the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Masters with a workmanlike 6-2 7-5 win over Alex Bogomolov Jr.
The fourth seed clinched a straight-sets triumph after one hour and 41 minutes on court to avenge a shock loss to the same opponent at the Miami Masters earlier this year.
Back then Bogomolov's world ranking had been in three figures - coming into their second meeting of the year he was down to a career-high 50 and was fresh off an impressive straight-sets triumph over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
However he proved to be no match for Murray, who hammered down 11 aces, the last of which booked a clash with either fifth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer or Frenchman Gilles Simon, the 10th seed.
The Scot had eased to a 4-0 lead in the opening set thanks to a double break of serve, though he didn't always have things all his own way out on Court Three at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.
Some lousy serving, one of the main reasons for his disappointing early exit in Montreal last week, in the fourth game saw him face two break points.
Both, though, were saved thanks to aces and although Bogomolov finally got on the board when he held his serve in the fifth game, it was only a case of delaying the inevitable for the American.
It appeared the second set would follow a similar pattern when Murray secured an immediate break thanks to some fine defensive work from the back of the court.
That advantage disappeared when Bogomolov broke back, only for the home favourite to then go and lose his serve again, gifting his rival a 2-1 lead with a double fault.
A comfortable hold helped Murray consolidate his position of strength and he remained ahead until the eighth game, when a fired-up Bogomolov, finally playing somewhere near his best tennis, levelled matters at 4-4.
Murray kept his cool though, not an easy thing to do in soaring temperatures in Ohio, putting himself in front again by breaking in the 11th game. He comfortably served out for the match, finishing things in style with an ace.
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The fourth seed clinched a straight-sets triumph after one hour and 41 minutes on court to avenge a shock loss to the same opponent at the Miami Masters earlier this year.
Back then Bogomolov's world ranking had been in three figures - coming into their second meeting of the year he was down to a career-high 50 and was fresh off an impressive straight-sets triumph over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
However he proved to be no match for Murray, who hammered down 11 aces, the last of which booked a clash with either fifth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer or Frenchman Gilles Simon, the 10th seed.
The Scot had eased to a 4-0 lead in the opening set thanks to a double break of serve, though he didn't always have things all his own way out on Court Three at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.
Some lousy serving, one of the main reasons for his disappointing early exit in Montreal last week, in the fourth game saw him face two break points.
Both, though, were saved thanks to aces and although Bogomolov finally got on the board when he held his serve in the fifth game, it was only a case of delaying the inevitable for the American.
It appeared the second set would follow a similar pattern when Murray secured an immediate break thanks to some fine defensive work from the back of the court.
That advantage disappeared when Bogomolov broke back, only for the home favourite to then go and lose his serve again, gifting his rival a 2-1 lead with a double fault.
A comfortable hold helped Murray consolidate his position of strength and he remained ahead until the eighth game, when a fired-up Bogomolov, finally playing somewhere near his best tennis, levelled matters at 4-4.
Murray kept his cool though, not an easy thing to do in soaring temperatures in Ohio, putting himself in front again by breaking in the 11th game. He comfortably served out for the match, finishing things in style with an ace.
more..
