Murray handles first-night nerves at Flushing Meadows

Andy Murray felt the spotlight on him once again as he began his latest bid for a first grand slam title with a straight-sets victory over India’s Somdev Devvarman at the US Open.

The 24-year-old, pictured below, is one of the favourites for the title but he admitted the nerves got to him at the start and his first act of this year’s tournament was to drop his serve against the world No. 64.

The first set could have gone either way but it was the Indian who made the crucial mistakes in the tie-break and from there Murray relaxed, going on to triumph 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, 6-3.

Asked about his nerves, the Scot said with a wry smile: “Try being a British player going into a grand slam. It’s not easy. There’s obviously pressure playing in these events to start with. Then when you haven’t played the guy you’re playing before, it’s a match you’re expected to win, there’s obviously going to be a bit of nerves.

“But I’m happy with that. There’s something wrong with you if you’re going into a slam not nervous. So it was good to get it out of the way. I played better as the match went on. Hopefully the next round will be better”

Next up for Murray is big- hitting Dutchman Robin Haase, who beat the Scot in their only previous meeting and is in the best form of his career after winning his first ATP World Tour title in Kitzbuhel earlier this month.

Laura Robson’s US Open run came to an end, the teenager losing 6-2, 6-3 to Spanish 30th seed Anabel Medina Garrigues, leaving Scotland’s Elena Baltacha as the only British woman in the event. She was due to play former champ Svetlana Kuznetsova today.