Andy Murray stormed into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Monday with another straight-sets victory.
Jurgen Melzer was undoubtedly the British No.1's toughest test so far in Melbourne but Murray crushed the No.11 seed 6-3 6-1 6-1 in 103 blistering minutes.
Murray is 9-2 with totesport to win his first Grand Slam on Sunday.
The form book had the 23-year-old Scot down to face Robin Soderling in the quarter-finals.
However, the in-form Swede, who took Murray's world No.4 ranking with victory in Brisbane this month, was the victim of the tournament's biggest shock so far.
Soderling went down 1-6 6-3 6-1 4-6 6-2 to the unseeded world No.46 Alexandr Dolgopolov.
Dolgopolov, in beating Soderling, became the first Ukrainian to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final since Andrei Medvedev in 1999.
He and No.5 seed Murray have met once previously in a Davis Cup clash five years ago when the Dunblane ace triumphed in straight sets.
Murray, playing arguably the best tennis of his career, has yet to drop a set Down Under and will be confident of going one better than last year when he lost in the final here to Roger Federer.
He is a best-priced 1-9 with Coral, 888sport and Blue Square to beat Dolgopolov but there is more value in taking the Scot to win in straight sets again. Murray 3-0 is 8-13 with totesport, Paddy Power, Blue Square and 888sport.
However Dolgopolov, who dumped big-hitting Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in five in the last 32, is beginning to make noises on the men's tour and I fancy he'll take a set.
Therefore 3-1 Murray is worth a look at 11-4 with Bodog, William Hill, Coral and Stan James.
The Ukrainian jumped more than 80 places in the world rankings in 2010, a season in which he reached round three of the French Open with the notable scalps of Arnaud Clement and Fernando Gonzalez.
He also bagged a tournament win on the second-tier Challenger Tour where he carried a 17-4 match record. But all last season's achievements pale into insignificance after he sent the classy Soderling home.
Let's cut to match point – despite Murray's dominance so far, Dolgopolov cannot be underestimated but the Scot will have done his homework and won't believe for a second he's set for an easy quarter-final.
He might be but he'll be ready if the Ukrainian, with nothing to lose, pushes him all the way.
Ace bet
- Murray 3-1 (11-4, Bodog, William Hill, Coral and Stan James)
