Andy Murray predicting tough battle

Players Under the Microscope / Editor / 13 March 2007 / Leave a Comment

Andy Murray destroyed Nicolas Mahut in straight sets to reach round four of the Masters Series in Indian Wells but then admitted he would need to be at his best to reach the quarter-finals.

It was a stunning performance from the world number 14, the Frenchman having no answer to Murray's powerful, aggressive game and was easily dispatched 6-1 6-3.

The 19-year-old Scot feels though that he will need to perform at the peak of his powers again if he is to progress further as he now faces world number four Nikolay Davydenko, who booked his passage with a 6-3 6-1 demolition of Tim Henman's conqueror, Jan Hernych.

Speaking of the mouth-watering Davydenko clash, Murray said: "I have played him three times. I lost the first two - I lost here actually last year in the third round - but I beat him in Doha earlier this year quite comfortably.

"He's one of the best ball-strikers in the game, he returns great and it will be a completely different match to my first two, as he is a slightly better player.

"He doesn't have the big serve, his main weapon is his returns and his defence. I'll have to play great if I want to win against him."

Murray won in straight sets in the pair's clash earlier this season in Qatar, but was knocked out of the US Open in convincing fashion towards the end of last season and a three-set victory at this event last year means Davydenko leads the head-to-head battle.

And although he is nine places below the Russian in the world rankings, the British number one is fancied at 1.81 to reach the quarter-finals while the Russian fourth seed can be backed at 2.12.