Murray confounds critics as French toast of Open

TENNIS: MELBOURNE, Jan 24, 2009 - Britain's Andy Murray continued to confound the doubters with another impressive performance here as a French threesome were the toast of the Australian Open on Saturday.

Murray, whose status as bookies' tip has ruffled a few feathers, floored Austria's Jurgen Melzer with typical guile and flair to set up a testing last-16 clash with dazzling Spaniard Fernando Verdasco.

As competition hotted up, French players zeroed in on the title with Gael Monfils, Gilles Simon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga all just four wins from victory and Richard Gasquet locked in a tussle with Chile's Fernando Gonzalez.

Spanish powerhouse and top seed Rafael Nadal takes the court in Saturday's late match against Tommy Haas as he revs up his campaign for a first hardcourt Grand Slam. Murray, who can be the first British Slam winner in 73 years, produced some magical tennis as he finally hit his stride.

The fourth seed came up with every shot in the book in a bewitching display as the world 32 Melzer collapsed from a close first set to lose 7-5, 6-0, 6-3.

Murray's first match was cut short by Andrei Pavel's injury retirement and he showed occasional rustiness in his round-two meeting with Marcel Granollers.

But after giving up a break advantage in the first set with a loose shot into the net, the Scot never looked back.

Murray produced a textbook backhand smash to go two break points up with Melzer serving to stay in the set, staring down the Austrian who then netted a forehand.

The second set was a rout with Murray scrambling to an unstoppable forehand winner and then dipping another under Melzer's racquet for the first break.

He lobbed the Austrian for three set points and went 2-0 up with a stylish forehand volley.

Murray faced break points late in the third set but held off and took the match with a strong service game, finishing it off with an ace.

"I'm hoping I can keep this form up next week," he told the crowd. "I'm going to have to play like this every match to have a chance, but I prepared as well as I could."

The Briton now faces Verdasco for a place in the quarter-finals with the Spanish 14th seed in similarly dazzling form 6-4, 6-0, 6-0 against Radek Stepanek.

France's Monfils stepped up a gear in a straight-sets dismissal of Spanish seed Nicolas Almagro, earning a fourth-round meeting with countryman Simon.

Tsonga, last year's runner-up, unexpectedly dropped a set against unseeded Israeli Dudi Sela before setting up a clash with in-form US number two James Blake.

"I think for us it's good if one Frenchman can win a Grand Slam," he said.

"Of course I want to win a Grand Slam, but if Richard or Gael or Gilles win a Grand Slam, I will be happy for them and it will be good for French tennis."

Blake dropped his first set of the tournament against Igor Andreev before winning 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 as he bids to improve on last year's quarter-final appearance.

Second seed Roger Federer and defending champion Novak Djokovic are in the other half of the draw and play their fourth round matches on Sunday. AFP