World number three Andy Murray eased into the third round of the Miami Masters despite never having to play at his best as he won 6-3 6-1 against an out-of-sorts Bernard Tomic.
The 20-year-old has undoubted potential and has been touted for a bright future but after a solid start he offered next to nothing and by the end was barely running for the ball.
The Australian is the youngest player in the top 50 but at times his body language emitted nothing but negativity and questions over his commitment, already voiced by Davis Cup captain Pat Rafter, may well return. Tomic looked out of sorts and although it was in no way Murray’s best performance he glided inexorably towards victory.
The Australian netted with a lame shot for Murray to go 5-1 up in the second set, prompting catcalls again from the stands and the Scot easily served out.
Murray knew he had not played anywhere near his peak but it was a job done satisfactorily.
He said: “No matter how you start your match you need to make your opponent work hard. I didn’t hit it unbelievable today but I worked hard.
“Once I got the breakthrough he made mistakes. But it is unbelievably hot and windy.”
Training in Florida was an aid to Murray, who added: “It’s tough to feel comfortable, maybe more than my opponent because I am used to the court, the wind and the humidity.”
Murray will next face 29th seed Grigor Dimitrov. The 21-year-old Bulgarian was leading Simone Bolelli 6-4 1-1 in their second-round match when the Italian retired injured.