Andy Murray vs. Marcel Granollers: Score and Reaction from 2016 US Open

Andy Murray got a challenge early from Marcel Granollers in the second round of the 2016 U.S. Open, but the No. 2 seed prevailed in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4. 

This summer has largely been Murray's playground on the tennis court. He did have a stumble against Marin Cilic in the Western & Southern Open final on August 21, but that came after he won his second career Wimbledon title and a second straight Olympic gold medal. 

Even though Murray only has one grand-slam victory this season, he's been money in the big tournaments so far, per ESPN Stats & Info:

At Wimbledon, Murray didn't have to go up against Novak Djokovic like he did at the Australian Open and French Open. 

The U.S. Open is where Murray had his first major breakthrough with a win in 2012. His performance has declined in the three years since, resulting in two quarterfinal exits and a disappointing fourth-round defeat last year.

Granollers did not figure to be a difficult test for Murray. In nine head-to-head meetings before Thursday, Murray held a 7-2 advantage with four straight wins. 

The first set looked like it was going to be all Murray. He jumped out to a 3-0 and 5-2 advantage before Granollers battled back to make the score close enough to make Murray sweat for a long 67 minutes. 

That appeared to be the wake-up call Murray was looking for, as he needed just 35 minutes to take the second set with a dominant 6-1 win. He struggled with consistency on his first serve through the second set, hitting just 46 percent in, but won 79 percent of those initial serves he did get into play. 

Granollers was forcing Murray to work for his points, even in the second set, as evidenced on this rally midway through the second set, via U.S. Open Tennis:

After trailing 3-2 in the third set, Murray responded with an ace and backhand volley that led to a forced error from Granollers to tie things up. It seemed like the momentum shifted back to Murray as he looked to close the match out.

Granollers got back on the serve for game seven and forced Murray into committing two errors that gave him a 4-3 advantage. Murray kept leaving small openings for Granollers to breathe, committing a double-fault right after an ace.

The 4-3 edge in the third set would be as good as things got for Granollers, as Murray closed out with a flurry to secure victory.

The story of the match was Granollers' inability to take advantage of Murray's erratic serving. He had opportunities throughout to put the heat on Murray but ended up being undone by 47 unforced errors. 

Ironically, though, Murray was able to close the match with an ace. U.S. Open Tennis provided the highlight on Twitter:

One potential explanation for Murray's erratic day was the weather. He was able to play at Arthur Ashe Stadium, which has a roof that needed to be closed because of heavy rain in New York. 

After the match, Murray said on the ESPN broadcast what the rain was doing to the stadium, via Chris Goldsmith:

While not a normal response, Murray understands the sounds on a tennis court can play a role on how to attack. He wasn't getting that because of the rain and may not have been able to move the way he normally does. 

This was not Murray's best match, but he was able to create enough chances for himself and take advantage of Granollers' mistakes to reach the third round.

There is no such thing as a bad win in any round of a grand slam event, though Murray undoubtedly knows that his performance has to get better if he hopes to win a second U.S. Open title. 

Post-Match Reaction

Murray's comments about the rain and noise in Arthur Ashe stadium continued to dominate the discussion during his press conference. 

Per Nicolas Atkin of ESPN UK, Murray talked about how the noise disrupts players focus on the court:

"

We use our ears when we play. It's not just the eyes. It helps us pick up the speed of the ball, the spin that's on the ball, how hard someone's hitting it. If we played with our ears covered or with headphones on, it would be a big advantage if your opponent wasn't wearing them. It's tricky. You can still do it, but it's harder, for sure.

"

Murray was not going to use the loud noises as an excuse for some of his sloppiness today, via ESPN.com: "I hit quite a lot of winners, although my first-serve percentage wasn't great. I won a lot of points behind my second serve. That's been good the first two rounds. It's a little bit different serving under the roof, a little bit heavier conditions."

Given Murray's long summer schedule, being able to win his first two matches at the U.S. Open in straight sets is a huge plus as he looks to maintain his stamina and endurance in anticipation of a long run.