With the temperature touching 104 degrees in Melbourne on Tuesday, Murray only needed to play 12 games to advance — Andrei Pavel retired with a back problem when he was down 6-2, 3-1 and 15-0.
When they walked off, the temperature was hovering at 99.
In addition to the heat, the early afternoon sun was nearly blinding at one end of the court.
When a passing cloud brought brief relief, a fan shouted, “Close the roof!” A swirling, gusty wind added unpredictability, and a flurry of moths annoyed the players and sent staffers scurrying to sweep them off the court during changeovers.
In other men’s action, No. 31 Jurgen Melzer of Austria overpowered 19-year-old Japanese player Kei Nishikori 7-5, 6-2, 6-1 and Uzkbekistan’s Denis Istomin beat American Vince Spadea in straight sets.
Murray is carrying the hopes of a British public looking for its first male Grand Slam champion since 1936.
The 21-year-old Scot, who lost last year’s U.S. Open final to Roger Federer, went back out to practice after the sudden finish to his first match.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever won a match on here,” he said. “You don’t want to win a match like that.”
Murray was installed as the favorite or joint favorite for the tournament by British bookmakers after beating Federer three times since losing the U.S. Open final — his best run at a major to date.
“I’m aiming to go one better here and I need all the support I can get,” he said, noting the number of Scottish flags unfurled around the stadium. “It’s nice. Hopefully they’ll keep coming throughout the tournament.”
Murray defended his Qatar Open title before coming to Melbourne but said it was still difficult getting used to the Australian summer.
“Even when you sit down at the change of ends, you’re expecting to sort of go and chill out a little bit in the shade and it’s roasting even when you’re just sitting there,” he said. “That was tough. If you have a long point, you can feel your feet burning a little bit.”
Federer began his quest for a 14th major to equal Pete Sampras’ record with a 6-1, 7-6 (4), 7-5 first-round win over 35th-ranked Andreas Seppi of Italy that finished after midnight.
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It was a difficult opener, considering Seppi is only just outside the top 32 players who are seeded for the tournament.
Federer had mononucleosis this time last year and that dogged him for months.
“I wasn’t fit, I had hardly played any matches, had any practice,” he said. “This year I had much more preparation and I feel I know where my game’s at.”
Rafael Nadal, who replaced him atop the rankings, had a night match Tuesday against Christophe Rochus of Belgium, about the same time No. 9 James Blake is due to play Canada’s Frank Dancevic.
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