TENNIS/US Open men's round-up:Andy Murray enjoyed a trouble-free start to his title bid today as he cruised to a 6-3 6-2 6-2 win over unheralded Slovakian Lukas Lacko.
The Scot, runner-up in New York in 2008 and chasing his first grand slam title, needed just one hour 51 minutes to see off the world number 71 in hot conditions inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The number four seed broke serve in the fourth game of the match on his way to the first set and was never unduly tested, breaking twice more to take the second set.
A double-fault from Lacko handed Murray another break in the third game of the third set and then again in the seventh to ease through to a meeting with Jamaican Dustin Brown.
Czech Tomas Berdych became the first big casualty of the men’s draw after being outclassed 7-6 6-4 6-4 by France's Michael Llodra.
Llodra, a doubles specialist, used serve-and-volley tactics to increasingly take a stranglehold over the number seven seed.
Berdych, runner-up at Wimbledon this year and a semi-finalist at the French Open in June, struggled to match his French rival's tactics as the contest wore on.
Not even a medical timeout in the second set after Llodra landed awkwardly could curtail his progress into the second round.