Andy Lambasts Labadze

This was the first time Andy had faced the big hitting lefty from Georgia, but proved to have too much game, defeating his opponent 7-5, 6-2, 6-1.

It was a keenly fought first set in which Irakli Labadze clawed his way back after going 0-40 down after 3 consecutive double faults in the 2nd game. Neither player took excessive risks, although Labadze routinely blasted his forehand. Andy served only one ace in the set, but demonstrated his commitment to getting to the net while achieving a 69 percent success rate.

In the 2nd set, Andy began to get his rhythm while Labadze began to fade. Andy was only in trouble once in the seventh game when he went 0-40 down but some ferocious serving (one of which almost decapitated his opponent)reprieved him. After this he cruised to a 6-2 second set win.

Labadze’s game collapsed in the third set winning only one game. Hitting twice as many unforced errors as Andy, including seven double faults, certainly did not help his cause.

Andy’s serving was hot and consistent throughout the match as he had no double faults with a first service percentage of 66 percent. His fastest serve of the day clocked in at 226km/h.

Andy will face another lefty in Britain’s Greg Rusedski in round 2.

Well done Andy! Good luck in the next round!

Stay tuned to AR.com for all the latest news on Andy’s progress at the Australian Open!