Wimbledon: Andy Murray wins all-British battle to reach second round

Andy Murray has booked his spot in the second round of Wimbledon after beating Ryan Peniston 6-3 6-0 6-1 in an all-British battle on Tuesday.

The unseeded former world No.1, a two-time Wimbledon champion, will next face fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem.

Murray, 36, who plays with a metal hip, has been on a resurgence this year having won three ATP Challenger Tour titles and is ranked world No.40.

He was widely expected to beat Peniston, 27, who was playing in the Wimbledon main draw for only the second time having made his ATP Tour debut last summer.

Murray was met with a huge cheer as he took to Centre Court for his opening match against the world No.268, as the rain came crashing down on the roof, and after both men held, Peniston earned himself the first break point opportunity, only for the game to go to deuce as he fired into the net for a Murray hold.

Peniston looked dogged and determined, though, and after quickly reeling off another hold of serve he earned himself a second chance to break Murray – but the underdog again could not convert despite his impressive early performance.

Murray began to find his groove and showed exactly why he is a three-time Grand Slam winner, overcoming the early pressure to secure the first break of the match and take the lead as a star-studded crowd including Roger Federer watched on.

It was enough for Murray to take the first set 6-3 and he made a strong start to the second by conjuring up a break in the opening game, with Peniston’s level visibly dropping as the British legend comfortably held to open up the lead.

Murray took complete control with another break and hold to lead 4-0 and all of a sudden it looked a long way back for Peniston, who looked lost on Centre Court. Murray was getting better and better as the match continued and after his fourth break of the afternoon, he secured a 6-0 bagel set to edge towards victory.

Murray, who equalled Jeremy Bates’ Open Era record for the most Wimbledon singles appearances by a British man, continued to dominate into the third set and secured a 6-3 6-0 6-1 victory in what was his 199th Grand Slam match win.