Andy Murray’s mission to be seeded at the US Open began with an impressive victory over Sam Querrey at the Hall of Fame Open in Newport, Rhode Island.
Less than two weeks after his second-round Wimbledon exit to John Isner, Murray was back on the grass in the ATP 250 event.
In Querrey he faced a former Wimbledon semi-finalist, but three-time Grand Slam champion Murray needed less than an hour to beat him 6-2 6-0.
Murray, who picked up just his second bagel in five years, faces Max Purcell next for a place in the quarter-finals.
Currently ranked No. 52 in the world, Murray admitted after his Wimbledon exit that making the top 32 ahead of the US Open is his aim.
That could make for a busy summer before heading to Flushing Meadows, with the final Grand Slam of the year starting on August 29.
“I really want to try and improve my ranking to a level where I’m getting seeded in slams. That was a goal of mine sort of post Miami,” he said after his defeat to Isner.
“I’ve spoken to my team a lot about that, and that’s something that I want to try and put myself in a position hopefully come the US Open. If not the US Open, then going into the Australian Open next year where I’m seeded again.
That means I’ll need to be out there competing and winning matches because it does make things trickier.
“I was coming into Wimbledon feeling like I could have a deep run. If you’re playing against top guys right at the beginning of the event, obviously makes it a little bit more challenging. That’s kind of what my goals are between now and the US Open.”
