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Andy Murray Beats Jarkko Nieminen In Second Round Olympics Match

Murray Beats Nieminen In Second Round
Samuel Luckhurst
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Andy Murray eased into the third round of the London 2012 Olympics tennis event with a straight sets win over Finland's Jarkko Nieminen.

The Wimbledon finalist barely broke sweat as he entertained a relaxed Centre Court with a variety of composed strokes during his 6-2 6-4 win as his competitor lagged on the other side of the net.

He will now face Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, whom he defeated at Wimbledon in the third round.

All England Club traditionalists may not have welcomed Plan B and The Clash's London Calling blaring around tennis' most hallowed arena, but Murray has expressed in the past how he prefers such vibrancy at tennis tournaments, and all the colours of the rainbow were represented on the Wimbledon lawn.

The Scot said prior to this year's SW19 slam that winning an Olympic gold would mean more to him than becoming the first Briton to win at Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936. His tears after the four-set final defeat to Roger Federer may have exposed that as a ruse, and some have since mused whether returning to the scene of that devastation in the same month may have caused a mental relapse.

2012 Olympics - Day 4
London Olympic Games - Day 4(01 of27)
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London Olympic Games - Day 4(02 of27)
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Great Britain's Zara Phillips on Kigh Kingdom as they knock down a fence in the Team Eventing Jumping Final on day four of the London Olympic Games at Greenwich Park, London. (credit:Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
London Olympic Games - Day 4(03 of27)
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Great Britain's Zara Phillips with her horse High Kingdom during the Horse Imspection before the Team Eventing Jumping Final on day four of the London Olympic Games at Greenwich Park, London. (credit:Andrew Milligan/PA Wire)
London Olympic Games - Day 4(04 of27)
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Zara Phillips on Kigh Kingdom during the Team Eventing Jumping Final on day four of the London Olympic Games at Greenwich Park, London. (credit:Andrew Milligan/PA Wire)
London Olympic Games - Day 4(05 of27)
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Great Britain's Mary King celebrates on Imperial Cavalier in the Team Eventing Jumping Final on day four of the London Olympic Games at Greenwich Park, London. (credit:Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
London Olympic Games - Day 4(06 of27)
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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge watch with Prince Harry during the Team Eventing Jumping Final on day four of the London Olympic Games at Greenwich Park, London. (credit:Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
London Olympic Games - Day 4(07 of27)
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London Olympic Games - Day 4(08 of27)
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London Olympic Games - Day 3(09 of27)
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North Korea's Un Guk Kim celebrates his Olympic record lift in the Snatch section ofthe Men's 62kg Weightlifting at the ExCeL centre, during the third day of the London 2012 Olympics. (credit:Nick Potts/PA Wire)
London Olympic Games - Day 3(10 of27)
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North Korea's Un Guk Kim celebrates lifting a world record in the clean and jerk section of the Men's 62kg Weightlifting at the ExCeL centre, during the third day of the London 2012 Olympics. (credit:Nick Potts/PA Wire)
London Olympic Games - Day 4(11 of27)
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London Olympic Games - Day 4(12 of27)
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London Olympic Games - Day 4(13 of27)
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Great Britain's Ellen Gandy in action in her Women's 200m Butterfly Heat at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park, London. (credit:EMPICS Sport/EMPICS Sport)
London Olympic Games - Day 4(14 of27)
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Great Britain's relay team (left-right) of Ross Davenport, Robbie Renwick, Rob Bale and David Carry wave to the crowd after the Men's 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay Heats at the Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park, London. (credit:Tony Marshall/PA Wire)
London Olympic Games - Day 4(15 of27)
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London Olympic Games - Day 4(16 of27)
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London Olympic Games - Day 4(17 of27)
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London Olympic Games - Day 4(18 of27)
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London Olympic Games - Day 4(19 of27)
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London Olympic Games - Day 4(20 of27)
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London Olympic Games - Day 4(21 of27)
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Great Britain's women's eight crew (right to left) Victoria Thornley, Katie Greves, Annabel Vernon, Natasha Page, Lindsey Maguire, Jessica Eddie, Louisa Reeve and Olivia Whitlam in action in the repechage during day four of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Eton Dorney Rowing Lake, Windsor. (credit:Stephen Pond/PA Wire)
London Olympic Games - Day 4(22 of27)
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London Olympic Games - Day 4(23 of27)
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London Olympic Games - Day 4(24 of27)
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London Olympic Games - Day 4(25 of27)
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London Olympic Games - Day 4(26 of27)
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Olympics Day 4 - Swimming(27 of27)
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LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 31: Ryo Tateishi of Japan competes in the Men's 200m Breaststroke heat 4 on Day 4 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Aquatics Centre on July 31, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)

He didn't display a hint of it against Stanislas Wawrinka on Sunday and nor did he against Nieminen. Murray broke the Finn in the very first game and then raced into a 4-1 lead after a second break.

Centre Court was pockmarked with empty seats for Britain's number one, continuing the trend that even the figureheads of the Team GB brand cannot lure backsides onto every seat. "Mount Murray" didn't warrant a mention during the BBC's coverage, but the Dunblane man towered over the world number 43.

Nieminen would only win one more game as Murray took the opening set 6-2, buzzing off the leisurely atmosphere which is a rarity for him even in the early rounds at the Wimbledon Championships.

Again he succeeded in breaking his opponent in the opening game of the second set as Nieminen, at 31, looked as creaky as his age suggested he would be against the 25-year-old Team GB member.

It was a more spirited effort from the Scandinavian, who laughed at his own expense when he hurtled into the crowd in the match's final game, but Murray served out with an ace to the delight of his Union Jack-wielding followers.

Knocked out at the first round in Beijing in 2008, the third seed had not reached the first of his four Grand Slam finals then. A marked maturity has abetted Murray since then as he seeks an Olympic medal to compensate for his Wimbledon heartache.

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