Murray just misses Martin triple bagel

MELBOURNE, Jan 16 (Reuters) British teenager Andy Murray just missed out on the first grand slam triple bagel since 1993 today when he crushed Spain's Alberto Martin 6-0 6-0 6-1 in the Australian Open first round.

The 15th seed won the first 17 games before the Spanish world number 60 mounted a late show of defiance to steal a solitary game before Murray wrapped up victory in just 70 minutes on Vodafone Arena.

It would have been the first time such a scoreline had been achieved in any grand slam since Spain's Sergi Bruguera crushed Thierry Champion in the 1993 French Open.

Due to the havoc wreaked upon the schedule by the searing heat in Melbourne, the match had been switched into the covered showpiece court, and Murray was allowed to show his full array of shots with the hapless Spaniard having no answer.

The 19-year-old Scot, who fell at the first hurdle in his only Melbourne Park tilt last year, now awaits the winner of France's Paul-Henri Mathieu and Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in the second round.

REUTERS DH VV1650