Australian Open Mens: Can Andy Murray progress into the QF?
Andy Murray is not taking the challenge of Austrian Jurgen Melzer lightly ahead of their fourth round clash on Monday.
Melzer has built a reputation as a high-risk, all-or-nothing type of player but he has been working on smoothing his game a little and he is capable of springing a surprise.
Murray said: "It will be a tough match. He's very unpredictable on the court but had his best year on the tour last year. He takes a lot of chances on the court and can also make some mistakes too. He plays high-risk tennis.But he has definitely improved. The older he has got, the better he has started to play. He has started to understand his game better."
A definite advantage for Murray is that he goes into the match fresh off a quick and easy victory, taking just one hour and 22 minutes to destroy Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-1 6-1 6-2.
Melzer reached the last 16 by beating Marcos Baghdatis, the Cypriot retiring with a finger injury with Melzer leading 6-7 (5/7) 6-2 6-1 4-3. That was hardly a vintage performance but the 11th seed is confident he can spring a surprise against Murray, even though he has a 0-4 record against the fifth seed, one those defeats coming here in Melbourne two years ago. Speaking to the press, Melzer said;
"He is playing well, he has great defensive skills, it is like two game plans meeting each other. He killed me here in 2009 but the other matches have all been close. I am going to be the one dictating the points. If I can keep my unforced errors low, push him around, I think I have a chance to beat him."
With Murray as low as 1-8, I would be inclined to take a chance on Melzer at 11-2 with Boylesports