Tennis: Murray sets up Wawrinka clash

TOKYO: Defending champion Andy Murray posted a comfortable straight-sets win over Lukas Lackoa to earn a place in the quarter-finals at the Japan Open. The top-seeded Briton needed only 56 minutes to secure a 6-1, 6-2 victory. With the win, Murray set up a quarter-final meeting against Stanislas Wawrinka. “I started the match almost perfect,” said Murray. “I only lost a couple of points in the first four or five games, so that was important.” In other matches, Juan Monaco whipped Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-1, while third-seed Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia outclassed Bangkok finalist Gilles Simon of France 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 4^th, 2012.