Murray needs to show ruthless streak

Andy Murray made a superb start to his US Open quest with a straight-sets victory over Lucas Lacko and it was good to see him show a ruthless streak.

Murray has the talent to go all the way, but time and again in majors he has wasted energy by winning matches in four and five sets that he should have put away in three. Most of his lapses can be put down to a lack of concentration, but that can be an Achilles heel when you are playing at a major lasting a fortnight.

It is imperative you conserve energy in the early rounds, especially so for Murray who did not kick off his campaign until Wednesday meaning his matches will be squeezed into a tighter timeframe.

Against Lacko, Murray produced the quality play he is famed for, but also recovered from dropping his serve at the start of the second set to close out the match. There would have been times in the past when a dropped serve at the start of a set would have been the catalyst for Murray losing his focus and surrendering a set. But not on this occasion.

Lacko is of limited ability when you talk about players at the top of the tree and up next is a similar player: Dustin Brown – a Jamaican capable of the sublime and the ridiculous.

Truer tests lie ahead for Murray over the course of the next week and a half, but he needs to maintain that ruthless streak.