REUTERS: Andy Murray executed his game-plan to negate the one booming weapon that Sam Groth possessed to beat the unseeded Australian 6-0 6-4 6-1 and advance to the third round of the Australian Open on Thursday.

Murray had said after the first round that he knew exactly what to expect against Groth – big serve and a large frame to chip or pass at the net – and the 28-year Briton did exactly what he needed to leave his opponent scrambling from the outset.

The world number two took 29 minutes to race through the first set, which included a nine-minute fourth game, and while Groth’s serve found its range in the second, Murray still managed to pull out the big points when he needed.

Murray continued his momentum into the third set, racing out to a 3-0 lead that he built on to set up a third round clash with Joao Sousa of Portugal.

Dab hand Azarenka, red-hot Muguruza on collision course

REUTERS: Victoria Azarenka and Garbine Muguruza continued their sizzling form by scorching through the second round of the Australian Open on Thursday, moving a step closer to a potential last 16 showdown.

Azarenka came to Melbourne Park on the back of a win at the Brisbane warm-up event, her first tournament since last September, and hammered Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck 6-0 6-0 in the first round.

On Thursday, the 26-year-old was almost as clinical with a 6-1 6-2, 63-minute thrashing of Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic on Margaret Court Arena.

Two years of injury and less than stellar form have left Azarenka languishing at number 16 in the world and that is why she is seeded to meet Muguruza as early the fourth round, if she can get past rising talent Naomi Osaka.

Spanish third seed Muguruza has been in almost as convincing form in her fourth trip to Melbourne Park, easing past Anett Kontaveit 6-0 6-4 in the opening round and demolishing Kirsten Flipkens 6-4 6-2 on Tuesday.

While Muguruza will need to get past Barbara Strycova to match her best performance at Melbourne Park, Azarenka has a lot further to go to match her title-winning runs of 2012 and 2013.

“I think I’m feeling in the best shape body-wise, you know, spirit-wise, everything-wise. You know, my team around me, too,” she said.

Hewitt’s last stand ends in emotional loss to Ferrer

​

REUTERS: Lleyton Hewitt was ushered into retirement as Spain’s David Ferrer ended the Australian former world number one’s career with a 6-2 6-4 6-4 victory on an emotional night at Melbourne Park on Thursday.

Hewitt, a two-time grand slam champion, scrapped for all his worth against the tenacious eighth seed but was unable to extend his record 20th and final appearance in the Australian Open men’s singles to the third round.

Once he has completed his doubles duty with Sam Groth, Hewitt’s playing career will be over and he will turn his thoughts to becoming Australia’s Davis Cup captain.

“I left nothing in the locker room. My whole career I’ve given 100%,” the watery-eyed 34-year-old said on court after video tributes from the likes of Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal were played on the Rod Laver Arena screens.

“I love coming out here and competing. I’ve been so fortunate to have that opportunity 20 years in a row.”

Ferrer was in no mood for sentimentality as he hustled his way to victory after Hewitt’s periodic fightbacks brought the crowd into the match, but was generous in his praise for the former Wimbledon and US Open champion.

“It’s a sad day. I never had idols, but Lleyton was one for me,” Ferrer told the crowd.

“I have a museum in my house and I have a T-shirt of Lleyton. It’s the only T-shirt I have of a tennis player.”

The crowd sensed this was to be Hewitt’s last stand when Ferrer won the first set after breaking serve twice despite some typically pugnacious defence from the Australian who will go down in the history books as one of the game’s true warriors.

Ferrer needed just one service break to seal the second set, though it was a hold by the Spaniard when he was leading 4-3 that encapsulated the entire match.

Sensing the possibility of one of his characteristic fightbacks, the ‘Fanatics’ whipped the crowd into a frenzy as Hewitt eked out seven break points in a game that lasted more than 15 minutes.

He was unable to land the killer punch though and Ferrer moved two sets ahead.

Ferrer grabbed an early service break in the third but still Hewitt would not budge, breaking for the first time in the match to level the score at 3-3.

Hewitt’s temper boiled over in the next game, however, when he was called for a foot fault, which led to an expletive being directed at the linesman.

He was warned by chair umpire Pascal Maria, who then was called “a freaking idiot” by Hewitt, though it did not fire him up enough to halt the inevitable.

“He was too good,” Hewitt said as his wife and family watched on.