A great test: Andy Murray gears up for Daniil Medvedev challenge at Miami Open

Andy Murray sets up clash against world No 2 Daniil Medvedev following straight-sets win against Argentina's Federico Delbonis in the opening round of the Miami Open.

Britain's Andy Murray is geared up to face World no. 2, Daniil Medvedev, in the second round of the Miami Open, after a straight-sets 7-6 (4) 6-1  win against Argentina's Federico Delbonis in the opening round on Thursday.

Following this win, the three-time Grand Slam champions said he is fully prepared to take on the Russian in the next round.

"Obviously a tough match. He's played extremely well on the hard courts the last few seasons. He deserves to be right up there at the top of the game," Murray said.

The Brit lost the first match he faced against Medvedev back in 2019, but the Russian has seen a marked improvement since then, having clinched the US Open 2021 and becoming World No.1 earlier this year. Murray is currently ranked 85th globally and will hope to climb up further this week.

"It'll be a big challenge for me. It'll be a great test. I've got a big training block after this tournament, and it'll be a really good test for where my game's at and things I need to work on as well against him. So I'm looking forward to that," the Brit added.

Murray has had a busy start to the new season, with the Miami Open being his eighth tournament of the year. The 34-year-old struggled to get past Alexander Bublik at the Indian Wells earlier this month, while the former World No.1 also had a tough challenge against Jannik Sinner at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

As for Medvedev, who has been facing a tough situation over his participation in various ATP tournaments due to his country's invasion in Ukraine, he will aim to regain the World No.1 post at the Miami Open. The 26-year-old lost his number 1 rank to Novak Djokovic earlier this week after suffering a surprise defeat at the hands of France's Gael Monfils at the Indian Wells.

Medvedev can reclaim his top spot from Djokovic if he advances to the semi-finals of the Miami Open. The Serbian currently holds a 55-point advantage over Medvedev but was again unable to compete in the tournament due to his unvaccinated status.