• Australian Open, Day Eight

Murray records fourth straight-sets win over Melzer

The Murray factor: Jurgen Melzer slams his racquet down in sheer frustration © Getty Images

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Dolgopolov stuns Soderling
Zvonareva ousts Benesova - again
Day Eight Gallery

The opponent got tougher but Andy Murray's form did not look any less dominant as he swept aside Jurgen Melzer in straights to move through to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Monday.

No. 5 seed Murray is still yet to drop a set in the tournament and somewhat unexpectedly, he hardly conceded a game as he destroyed the No. 11 seed 6-3 6-1 6-1 in rapid fashion on centre court.

With Murray's projected quarter-final showdown against Robin Soderling ruined by the world No. 4's shock defeat to Alexandr Dolgopolov, the Scot now just needs to see off the young Ukrainian to reach the semi-finals of a tournament for which he must now be considered a serious threat.

Murray hit the ball as well as ever but it was perhaps the mental side of his game that helped him record such a one-sided scoreline against Melzer. He read the German's serve with ease, getting the vast majority back in court and winning 56% of points on Melzer's delivery. Murray also made just two unforced errors in a first set built on relentless consistency.

The pattern continued in the second and the frustration of seeing just about every ball come back wore Melzer down, with the Austrian eventually cracking while trailing 3-1, throwing his racket into the court. The brilliance of Murray's return was the key to victory but he was still superior in every other aspect as he cruised to victory, including his serve. He sent down 13 aces for just three double faults, including a 216km/h rocket that moved him into the top ten for service speed in the tournament.

Murray admitted immediately after the match he was "surprised" at how lopsided the score was, but despite his near faultless form thus far he refused to look too far ahead as he attempts to go one better than last year's runner-up result.

"Last year [here] I played some of the best tennis of my life," he said. "I'm hitting the ball really well now and I have just played four very good matches and I hope it continues. But I don't want to get carried away because I've never won one of these things before."

Murray's path ahead might look easier on paper after Dolgopolov's shock win but Murray pointed to the fact his victory over Soderling means he will be a considerable threat.

Asked about Dolgopolov, Murray said: "I've known him for quite a while. I played him in the Davis Cup when we were both really young. He's got an unorthodox game but he's very, very talented and he obviously caused a big upset today so it will be a tough match."

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