Not a great start to the year by muzz. I tune in to find ...
Muzz down 5-2 (2 service breaks) and kukushkin serving for the set.
Muzz breaks right back to 5-5. Hooray he's done it! ...
Er, not quite, we know the script by now folks.
Muzz gets broken for 6-5 and we watch him berating himself at great length during the break, tell himself what a great loser he is and all that kind of stuff.
Muzz drops the set 7-5.
Nothing new, improved or remotely likely to cause any concern to muzz's prospective opponents. I'll be kind and just put it down to rust.
One good thing ... after Match 1 Ivan can get straight down to work on most of the issues muzz has to sort out. Welcome to your new job, Ivan :-)
Please do something.

In fairness to kukushkin he has been playing very well, returning serve like muzz usually does, pressuring muzz and really sharp at the net.
No doubt muzz will take it in 3 though as muzz takes advantage of him being unable to sustain it.
Good workout for muzz just the same. And there's muzz 4-1 and a break up set 2. No point hanging around now muzz.

Now that's the muzz I like to watch. Kukushkin at the net and muzz on the baseline with time to go for the winner. Everyone waiting for what is a very makeable passing shot down kukushkin's backhand. Muzz lobs him. Ball lands 4 feet inside the baseline but it didn't need to be deep because absolutely no one was expecting it. Classic Murray.
Still loses the game but as long as he keeps it on kukushkin's backhand he should be okay now.

There's the break for 3-2 to muzz. Grimacing and hobbling a bit but we know that means absolutely nothing.

Double break for 5-2. Nice work-out to get muzz up nd running.

muzz wins 5-7, 6-3, 6-2.

Nice celebration at the end - seems like he's glad to have got through that one and to have started to find his game before leaving court.

I think he chose well coming to Brisbane rather than starting against the big boys in the middle east and then having to travel half way across the world for the AO.

O well, alex, thanks for your company, it was nice watching the match together. Gotta go now, work to be done :)

PS. 67% first serves. superlative by muzz's standards.

alex, did watch it! Typical Murray match wasn't it? Opponent comes out like a rocket, Andy starts very slowly, service awful, swearing, clutching body parts etc. Then Andy begins to right ship, shouldna, couldna wouldna win first set! Makes life difficult. What a change! Second set better. Third Murray the magician returns and ends match in some style with lovely shots.
Have we not been here many times?

yep, deuce, many, many times :(

Still, wouldn't be murray if he didn't making things awkward.

I'm disappointed to learn Ivan isn't there yet - would've been good to see what he'd have to say about that first set, not that we'll be told too much about what he says to muzz.

alex, as far as I understand it, Ivan's just going to be around for the slams.

Poor alex and deuce... he gave you a scare again :(
It's not easy to be Andy's fan...

It's the first match of the season. Relax people.
The AO is what matters anyway.

Kukushkin has talent. Still, Murray shouldn't be messing around with him like that.

yes zare, normal service has resumed :(
bleck - muzz's first match back since retiring injured mid-November - not so easy to relax till he shows he's properly recovered, with his best slam tournament just round the corner.