AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Jan. 9(AP) -- Scottish teenager Andy Murray won his first-round match at the US$430,000 (€365,000) Heineken Open on Monday but stirred controversy by saying he and his opponent had "played like women."

Murray, 18, made the comment in a courtside interview immediately after his 7-5, 6-2 win over Kenneth Carlsen of Denmark, a player 14 years older than Murray and who played in an Auckland final in 1997 _ when Murray was 10 years old.

Spectators booed loudly when Murray said "we were both playing like women" in a first set in which there were seven breaks of serve.

Murray look startled by the angry crowd response but gathered his thoughts and strongly criticized his own performance before leaving the court to polite applause.

The powerful right-hander, who said the English media refer to him as British when he wins and Scottish when he loses, said he felt some rustiness in his first match in 2006.

He lifted his world ranking from 414 to 62 during 2005 and said prior to Monday's match that his ambition was to break into the world's top 20 this year.

He said he hoped to play at least three matches in Auckland in his buildup to next week's Australian Open but felt his draw would likely pit him against Croatian Davis Cup winner Mario Ancic _ who later won his first-round match _ and top-seeded Fernando Gonzalez of Chile in the next two rounds.

"It's was pretty difficult out there," Murray said of his erratic performance on serve. "The sun was right in your eyes from one end and I know Kenneth found it difficult as well.

"I struggled in the first set, I think we both did, but I calmed down in the second and played more aggressively.

"In the first I was just hitting the ball back but I think that you're always a bit like that in your first few matches of the year."

Murray saved a vital break point in the 11th game of the first set, finally held serve to lead 6-5, then broke Carlsen to take the first set 7-5 in 54 minutes and on his second set point.

He broke the Danish player again in a marathon game of four deuces and five break points in the fourth game of the second set, then played strongly on his own serve to take out the match on his fourth match point and with another break.

Carlsen was impeded from the fourth game of the second set by an ankle injury, sustained when he stretched to return a low volley from the backhand court.

In other first-round matches Monday, Robin Vik of the Czech Republic saved four set points in the first set and went on to upset eighth-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-1. His second-round opponent will be Florian Mayer of Germany, who beat New Zealand wild card Dan King-Turner 6-2, 6-2.

"I'm very happy at the moment but it wasn't easy today, especially in the first set because it was very windy weather," Vik said. "I've practiced a lot before this tournament so I feel really good at the moment."

Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland beat Tomas Zib of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-4 while Ancic advanced with a 6-1, 6-2 win over New Zealander Mark Nielsen.