Andy Murray (Photo : Getty Images)
Andy Murray will attempt to continue his post-Olympics success at the Western & Southern Open when he meets Africa's Kevin Anderson in the third round of the ATP 1000 Masters in Cincinnati, Ohio on Thursday.
Murray had little trouble in beginning his campaign at the Cincinnati Masters despite lacking the needed rest after exhausting most of his energy competing at the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil. Murray, who won a second-consecutive Gold Medal at the quadrennial event, defeated Argentine Juan Monaco 6-3 6-2.
The top-seeded Murray got off to a slow start and had trouble adjusting to the balls as he called for a trainer to attend to his right back shoulder in the first set. But the world No. 2 managed to seal the victory in a match that lasted for 77 minutes, winning nine of the final 11 games to book a Round of 16 date with Anderson, who stunned French Richard Gasquet with a 6-2 6-4 victory.
Murray leads Anderson by 5-2 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head singles matchup, but the 30-year-old South African got the win in their most recent meeting in last year's US Open. As the top favorite to win the Cincinnati Masters, Murray has the edge going against Anderson, although it could turn out into another upset if the Scot drops his level of play.
Murray and Anderson could face either Australia's Bernard Tomic or Japan's Kei Nishikori in the quarterfinals. Tomic dispatched David Goffin in their second round clash with a three-setter win 3-6 7-5 6-4, while Nishikori, who won finishes the Olympic Games with a Bronze Medal, had a swift win over Russian Mikhail Youzhny.
Nishikori matched his best results in Cincinnati and hopes to earn another shot at playing in the final round of a Masters event following his impressive run at the Rogers Cup in Toronto.
Live streaming info and score updates
Watch 2016 Cincinnati Masters: Andy Murray vs Kevin Anderson live via TennisTV. Live score updates will be available during game days at ATP World Tour's official website.
