NEW YORK, (Reuters) – Andy Murray sent an ominous  warning to his U.S. Open rivals when he breezed through his  first match at Flushing Meadows on Wednesday before home hope  Andy Roddick made an undignified exit in the last match of the  day. Roddick was outplayed by unseeded Serb Janko Tipsarevic but  his 3-6 7-5 6-3 7-6 defeat was reduced to a footnote after the  ninth seed’s churlish rant with a line judge over a footfault  that had no bearing on the result.

Murray showed why he is regarded as a serious contender to  capture the men’s title as he crushed Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko  6-3 6-2 6-2.

The perennial hope of British tennis, Murray succeeded in  escaping the worst of the roasting heat by racing to victory in  under two hours.

“I managed to get through in straight sets so I’m pleased,  but it was a lot tougher than the score suggests,” the  fourth-seeded Scot said.

“Everyone in my (supporters) box always tell me it’s a lot  tougher watching in the heat than playing but I’m not so sure.  It was brutal conditions.”