Andy Murray vs. Marinko Matosevic: Score, Reaction from 2015 Australian Open

Boo birds broke out when Andy Murray took the court for his second-round Australian Open match against native upstart Marinko Matosevic. Efforts to galvanize the home underdog weren't successful, as Murray was in supreme form in a second-round, 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 win.

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No.6 seed Andy Murray reaches his 27th straight 3rd round of a Grand Slam with a 61 63 62 win over Aussie Matosevic. pic.twitter.com/PARGs3NsP1

— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) January 21, 2015"

Murray commanded respect from the fans at Melbourne Park with his brilliance, rendering the oft-animated Matosevic rather docile.

Ben Rothenberg of The New York Times weighed in during the early going:

The tournament's official Twitter account highlighted just how proficient Murray was in conceding just one game in the opening set:

Matosevic was going for broke throughout the match, doing whatever he could to get Murray on the move on the hard-court surface. Such tactics backfired, because Matosevic was simply too imprecise to execute that game plan.

A first-serve percentage of 51 and 49 unforced errors to just 26 winners doomed any chance Matosevic had to mount any sort of upset bid. The Aussie had some success at the net in winning 23 of 32 points, yet it wasn't near enough to compete in the same stratosphere with his sixth-seeded opponent.

That has always been the case when Matosevic has met Murray on the court, as The New York Times' Christopher Clarey pointed out:

History suggested Murray would have little trouble, yet he still had to go out and play at a high level to keep sharp for the tougher matches ahead. He accomplished that with a great service performance, winning 85 percent of first-serve points and even 52 percent of receiving points.

After the match, Murray harbored no hard feelings toward the spectators in attendance, lauding the up-and-coming players the country is producing:

Murray's quest for the third leg of the career Grand Slam will continue when he takes on Joao Sousa in the third round. Having reached the final three times at Melbourne Park without winning the title, this year could be the time for Murray to break through if his early form is any indication.

The draw isn't easy for Murray, though, as he may face Grigor Dimitrov in the round of 16 and perhaps the legendary Roger Federer even deeper in the tournament.

Getting through that gauntlet would make a third major triumph all the more impressive for Murray, but there is still plenty of tennis to play until the champion is crowned. Any type of deep run at the Australian Open ought to propel Murray forward to a resurgent 2015 campaign.

Note: Stats courtesy of AusOpen.com.