Andy Murray has raced into the third round at Wimbledon with an easy victory over Blaz Rola.
The defending champion conceded just two games on the way to a 6-1 6-1 6-0 triumph in front of a sizeable crowd on Court One.
The 27-year-old will now play Jan Hernych or Roberto Bautista Agut in the last 32.
Read below to see how the match unfolded at SW19.
Hello, and welcome to Sports Mole's coverage of the match between Andy Murray and Blaz Rola in the Wimbledon second round.
Just as we start our coverage, Andy Murray and Blaz Rola are making their way out to Court One. It's nowhere near a full house, but the two players get a huge ovation.
While the two players go through their warm-up routine, let me tell you a little bit about Blaz Rola. The tall left-hander, who was born in Slovenia, recently cracked the top 100 for the first time in his career, but this is the first time that he has ever graced SW19. However, he showed in his first round match that he wasn't overawed by the occasion after he eased past Pablo Andujar for the loss of just eight games. Today's test is probably a bit different, though...
Today's match will also be the first time that these two players have played each other. Murray should have enough to come through the match comfortably, but it could potentially take him a while to get used to the Slovenian's style. He's regarded as a relatively big server, but he's susceptible to errors on his forehand side. We shall wait and see!
The two players are ready. It will be Rola to serve first.
BREAK! Rola starts the match with a one-two off his serve, but he gives away his advantage with a double fault. A few nerves, perhaps? A framed forehand doesn't help his cause before Murray brings up two break points with a trademark cross-court backhand. The pair get involved in a tentative baseline rally, but Murray prevails with the early break by hooking a backhand wide.
Murray slices a backhand long of the baseline on the opening point, but responds with a hard forehand into the corner. A big serve out wide gives him 30-15, but Rola is all over a tentative second serve on the next point. Rola is showing plenty of aggression and he gets to deuce with a dominant point, but Murray follows up the first ace of the match by forcing Rola to net to concede the game.
Rola has come to play this afternoon. He concedes the first point but two thunderous forehands into the corner of the court get him to 40-15. Murray responds in kind, but he can't prevent Rola getting a game on the board.
The Slovenian isn't half relishing this. He produces a sublime backhand lob that falls inside the baseline, but misses marginally with a couple of aggressive shots from the back of the court. However, a drop volley and a Murray error gives Rola the chance to break back, but Murray powers down an ace out wide. Two more big serves and it's the Scot's game, but Rola is playing superbly.
BREAK! The first point after I say he is playing superbly, he shanks a routine volley. Sorry, Blaz! He follows that with a poor forehand and Murray has 0-30. Murray misses with a backhand return, but what a ridiculous point on the next exchange. Rola picks up a Murray cross-court forehand, but the Scot replies with the most delicate of lobs. It's two break points, and Murray takes the first opportunity with another forehand winner.
What did I say at the start about forehand errors? Rola opens up with two of them to give Murray the advantage before chipping in with one off his backhand side. It's a love service-hold for Murray after Rola sends a lob over the baseline.
SET! The opening two points are shared before Murray lets rip with a cross-court forehand from the side of the court. That's better from Rola, though, who ghosts into court to put away a backhand volley, but another poor forehand hands Murray a set point. Rola saves it with a smash, and prevents another with a big first serve, but Murray takes the third to take the opening set in 28 minutes.
It's a slow start to the set from Murray who, after getting to 30-15, slices a backhand out of court. Out of nowhere, he throws in a double fault, and Rola has the chance to break. Guess what, though? Like last time, Murray delivers an ace out wide. During the next point, which was being evenly contested, a ball drops out of Murray's pocket and they replay the point, but Murray regains his composure to take the next two to hold serve.
BREAK! Hmmm. Ever since the ball incident, Rola has made four errors in a row. Murray has 0-30, but Rola recovers to drill a forehand into the corner. The Slovenian is in charge of the next point, but another forehand error materialises and Murray has two break points. Again, Murray only needs the one chance, and he has the break after forcing the mistake out of his opponent.
Murray miscues a forehand to give Rola 0-15, but a couple of big serves and a drop shot see him ease to 40-15. He follows that with a one-two off his serve and he moves into a 3-0 advantage.
BREAK! Murray latches onto a second serve to take the early advantage before Rola dumps a forehand over the baseline. The Slovenian shows that he still has an interest in this match with making some coverage at the net for 30-30, but he lets himself down with an unforced error into the net. Murray misses out on the break point, but he takes the second chance after Rola goes long.
Another ace out wide takes Murray to 30-0, but he gets too carried away on the next point and hooks a forehand wide. Rola starts to see a bit more of the ball and it helps him get to deuce, but Murray shows marvellous feel for the ball with a volleyed lob over Rola that catches the baseline. The game is sealed when a serve is hit long by the left-hander.
Murray should be 0-40 ahead, but two careless shots see Rola hold a 30-15 lead. The Scot then proceeds to spray a couple of shots long of the baseline and Rola has avoided the bagel. He looks pleased with that.
SET! That game hasn't sat well with Murray. He smashes his way to a 30-0 lead before a cross-court backhand is directed into the corner for three set points. He only needs the one, though, and Murray is one set away from the last 32.
BREAK! A backhand smash takes Murray to 0-30 before Rola sends a backhand long. It's three break points for the defending champion, but the first is missed when he nets a backhand. The second also goes astray, but he finally takes the game with a clinical forehand down the line.
An ace down the middle gets Murray off to a positive start but he can't follow it up after a backhand slice fails to get over the net. The next two points are shared, but a big first serve gets Murray out of trouble. Rola misses out with a backhand lob and that's the game for the Scot.
BREAK! Murray crunches a forehand winner, but he's lazy on his next effort and it floats wide. After the next two points are shared, Rola sends a shot into the net before Murray seals the double-break with a forehand into the corner. It's blistering stuff from the Scot but Rola isn't offering much at all. Pablo Andujar, who the Slovenian defeated in the first round, must be feeling embarrassed.
Where has that come from? Rola plays a superb point before sending an inside-out forehand flashing past Murray. It's 15-15, but Murray responds with a flashing backhand effort of his own to edge ahead. Is Murray beginning to lose focus? He concedes two points in a row to give a third break point to Rola, but again, he comes up trumps with a one-two off his first serve. The minor blip is over when Rola nets a return and the 27-year-old is two games away.
BREAK! You feel as though this is Rola's last chance to avoid the bagel. Can he do it? At 0-15 down, his cause is helped when Murray volleys wide, but the Scot steps into court next time out to force the mistakes. A double fault gives Murray two break points, and Rola does the same on the next point to give Murray his third break of the set. Deary me...
MATCH! Murray opens up with an ace down the middle, which is seventh of the match, before a drop-shot has Rola sprawling all over the court before he is forced to admit defeat. Two points away becomes one when Murray drives a cross-court backhand into the corner of the court, and his passage into the third round is achieved with a drop volley. Great performance!
Well that was rather good, wasn't it? Rola has been rolled over as comprehensively as you could possibly imagine. Two down, five to go...
That match lasted all of 84 minutes. Scintillating stuff. Murray will now face Jan Hernych or Roberto Bautista Agut in the last 32.
That will be all from Sports Mole for this match. It was short and sweet, but the defending champion is through to the next round and that's all that matters from a British perspective. Goodbye for now.
