Andy Murray's quest for a first Australian Open title took another positive step today, with a 6-4 6-2 6-4 victory.
The Scot seemed to have parked any niggles he picked up from an ankle injury he sustained during his second round win, to pull off a clinical display against American Sam Querrey, who last year staged an upset against Novak Djokovic in Wimbledon.
With Murray's closest rival now out of the tournament, following his defeat yesterday, the world number one is the clear favourite for the title.
Querrey missed an opportunity to test Murray with a break point in game eight, which later resulted in Murray taking the break himself in the following game.
The American rallied in the third set, in which he claimed three consecutive games to take a 3-2 lead. But it proved to brief moment of respite, as Murray progressed to take the match.
Speaking after the game, a satisfied Murray said:
"I felt better and better as the match went on in terms of my movement. I was a little bit hesitant maybe at the beginning. It was a little bit sore but I was moving well at the end, so that was very positive."
"Sam, especially in the first set, was hitting a huge ball. There was a key moment at 3-4 when I saved a break point and then managed to break the next game and had the momentum after that."
Murray will now go on to meet Germany's Mischa Zverev to contest for a place in the quarter-finals.
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