Andy Murray
Andy Murray of Great Britain and Ivan Lendl during a practice session on day two of the 2017 Australian Open Getty

Andy Murray will take on Andrey Rublev in the second round of the 2017 Australian Open at the Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday (18 January).

Where to watch live

The game is set to start at 9.30am GMT. Live coverage of the game is available on British Eurosport and Eurosport 1. Live scores and radio commentary is available on the official Australian Open site.

Overview

Andy Murray suffered a minor scare during his first round win over Illya Marchenko. The Scot won in straight sets, but was made to work hard for it by the Ukrainian. It took until the 12th game in the first set after both had broken each other for him to win, while the second set went into a tie breaker. The third however was a stroll after the first two sets took a toll on Marchenko.

The world number one will hope to make it easier on himself in the second round as he bids for his first Australian Open title. Murray is a five time beaten finalist and he will be keen to end that run, and it will go a long way in helping him consolidate his position at the top of the ATP rankings.

Andrey Rublev is a regular on the ATP challenger circuit and is only breaking into the senior tour. The Russian achieved his highest singles ranking just prior to the start of the Australian Open and is currently ranked number 152 in the world. He has beaten the likes of Fernando Verdasco and Pablo Andujar during his career and could put up a fight if the world number one is not at his best.

They are facing each other for the first time in their careers and will face the winner of the game between Sam Querrey and Alex De Minaur in the third round.

Prediction: Andy Murray – straight sets

What players say

Andy Murray [on Andrey Rublev]: I've never hit with him or played against him, but I've seen him play before and he goes for it. He doesn't hold back. He hits a big ball," via the Guardian

Betting odds

  • Murray win: 1/80
  • Rublev win: 14

Head-to-head

The duo are facing each other for the first time in their professional careers.

Australian Open Andy Murray