No coach proving to be no problem for fourth-ranked Andy Murray

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No coach, no problem for Murray

MASON, Ohio — Andy Murray has been doing just fine so far without a coach.

Since splitting in late July with Miles Maclagan, his coach for three years, the fourth-ranked Murray has reached the finals at Los Angeles and beaten top-ranked Rafael Nadal and No. 2 Roger Federer in Toronto to sail into this week’s Cincinnati Masters on a high note.

“I felt great last week,” Murray said Tuesday during a news conference. “It’s only been a few weeks (without) a coach, and I’m happy on my own. I played some of my best tennis last week. I think I’ve improved since Wimbledon.”

The 23-year-old Scot will take the No. 4 ranking and seed into a second-round match Wednesday against 58th-ranked Frenchman Jeremy Chardy.

Murray, who won in Cincinnati in 2008, is hoping that this year’s tournament is the next step on the road to a U.S. Open title.

Murray dropped just one set while rolling through the Rogers Cup in Toronto, capping his week with a 6-3, 6-4 win over No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the semifinals before overcoming several rain delays to knock off the second-ranked Federer 7-5, 7-5.

“Hardcourt has been my best surface for the past years,” said Murray, who’s reached two Grand Slam finals, the Australian Open this year and the 2008 U.S. Open. “This year, I think I’ve played well in Grand Slams. I played very well last week.”

Murray will have to avoid the upset run that cropped up at the $2.4 million Western & Southern Financial Group Masters again on Tuesday, when 12th-seeded Mikhail Youzhny and 16th-seed Gael Monfils became the latest seeded players to get knocked out.

Youzhny fell to 41st-ranked Frenchman Richard Gasquet 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, just after Monfils was eliminated by 67th-ranked Colombian Alejandro Falla 6-3, 6-4.

Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych cruised to a 6-4, 6-4 win over 102nd-ranked Paul-Henri Mathieu to become the first player to reach the round of 16. The seventh-seeded Berdych will face 20th-ranked Marcos Baghdatis, who was pushed by No. 25 Thomaz Bellucci to three sets and a tiebreaker before prevailing 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (4).

Also on Tuesday, No. 36 Mardy Fish took out 34th-ranked Gilles Simon 7-6 (4), 7-5, 53rd-ranked Denis Istomin dominated No. 107 James Blake, 6-3, 6-0, 33rd-ranked Philipp Kohlschreiber rallied for a 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-4 win over No. 63 Horacio Zeballos, No. 58 Jeremy Chardy knocked off No. 45 Florian Mayer, 6-2, 7-6 (4), 32nd-ranked Julien Benneteau edged No. 35 Michael Llodra 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in an all-French matchup, No. 27 Ernests Gulbis defeated No. 101 Donald Young 7-6 (5), 6-4 and 30th-ranked Lleyton Hewitt advanced when Yen-Hsun Lu retired with Hewitt leading 6-4, 4-0.