Murray gives lessons to wild card

Shanghai: Britain's Andy Murray gave Chinese wild card Bai Yan a master class in match efficiency when he extinguished the home hope's ambitions of another upset with a 6-2 6-2 thrashing in the Shanghai Masters yesterday.

The world number 465 had shocked Czech Radek Stepanek on Tuesday and said in advance of his unexpected date with the world No 4 that the experience would be a learning opportunity.

It proved to be a steep and brief tutorial as Murray fizzed into the third round with a determined display after his lacklustre offerings a week earlier at the China Open in Beijing.

The 21-year-old Bai did send patriotic hearts thumping on several occasions, testing Murray with ferocious accurate forehands and lobs, snatching four games as the home crowd gathered belief in a massive upset.

Several ‘Murray Mania' Chinese fans sporting home made ‘Andy' flags were faced with divided loyalties but the Scot was never in danger of becoming the rising Chinese star's next big scalp after his straight-set win over the world No 37 a day earlier.

In other matches, world number two Novak Djokovic eased past Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic 6-3, 6-3 while fifth seed Robin Soderling beat Serb Janko Tipsarevic 6-3 7-6.

RESULTS

Shanghai Masters:

First round: Richard Gasquet (FRA) BT Ernests Gulbis (LAT) 6-1, 6-4; Florent Mayer (GER) bt Kevin Anderson (RSA) 6-2, 6-2; Sam Querrey (USA) bt Michael Berrer (GER) 6-3, 7-6 (8/6); Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) bt Marsel Ilhan (TUR) 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 (7/4); Andreas Seppi (ITA) bt Marin Cilic (CRO x14) 6-2, 6-2; Gael Monfils (FRA x15) bt Benjamin Becker (GER) 6-1, 7-5; Lu Yen-Hsun (TPE) bt Wu Di (CHN) 6-1, 6-4.

Second round: Novak Djokovic (SRB x2) bt Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) 6-3, 6-3; Jurgen Melzer (AIUT x13) bt Daniel Gimeno-Traver (ESP) 6-3, 7-6 (7/2); Jeremy Chardy (FRA) bt Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR) 6-1, 5-7, 6-2; Robin Soderling (SWE x5) bt Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) 6-3, 7-6 (7/5); Andy Murray (GBR x4) bt Bai Yan (CHN) 6-2, 6-2.

Japan Open (x denotes seeds):

Second round: Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA) bt Coco Vandeweghe (USA) 5-7, 7-5, 6-4; Samantha Stosur (AUS x1) bt Junri Namigata (JPN) 6-0, 6-3

Marion Bartoli (FRA x2) bt Stefanie Voegele (SUI) 6-2, 6-2

Chang Kai-chen (TPE) bt Maria Kirilenko (RUS x4) 6-4, retired.