Qatar Open: Murray beats Daniel to reach R2; Bublik, Ruusuvuori advance
Feb 16, 2022
Doha [Qatar], February 16 : Andy Murray on Tuesday defeated Taro Daniel in the first round of the ongoing Qatar Open on Tuesday.
Playing in Doha, the 34-year-old produced a strong first-round performance to brush past Daniel 6-2, 6-2. The last time when both players faced each other, Daniel defeated the former world number one in the second round of the Australian Open.
Murray is a two-time champion and four-time finalist in Doha, and he looked happy to be back as he hit 11 winners and broke Daniel twice to ease to the first set.
Murray now faces second seed Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round. The Brit will seek to increase his 3-1 ATP head-to-head lead over the World No. 16 Spaniard.
Montepellier champion and seventh seed Alexander Bublik beat Slovakian qualifier, Jozef Kovalik, 6-2, 6-4 with a powerful performance earlier on Tuesday.
The World No. 31 Kazakh hit 25 winners including seven aces, breaking his opponent four times to reach the second round in Doha for the third consecutive year. He now faces Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech, who defeated Jiri Vesely 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4.
Pune runner-up Emil Ruusuvuori continued his strong start to 2022 with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over David Goffin. The 22-year-old now faces sixth seed Karen Khachanov in the second round.
Marton Fucsovics knocked eighth seed Lloyd Harris out in Doha for the second year in a row with a 6-4, 7-6(4) victory. The World No. 36 Fucsovics will now face South Korean Soonwoo Kwon in the second round.
