Andy Murray eased into the second round of the San Diego Open on Tuesday after a straight-sets victory over Denis Kudla.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Murray was originally scheduled to face Japan’s Kei Nishikori, who withdrew from a back injury and he was replaced with lucky loser Kudla.
The Scot raced to a 6-3, 6-2 victory, continuing his fine form after he reached his first ATP Tour quarterfinal since 2019 at the Moselle Open last week, although he was knocked out by eventual champion Hubert Hurkacz.
Murray faces a tough test in the second round, facing world No. 10 Casper Ruud, who has already achieved four ATP tournament wins this year.
Last week, Murray said he was confident that he could compete at the top level again after undergoing hip surgery in 2018 and 2019, which almost caused him to retire.