The wonder of Murray in Memphis

Players Under the Microscope / Editor / 23 February 2007 / Leave a Comment

Andy Murray enjoyed a comfortable path to the quarter-finals of the Memphis International, defeating Denmark's Kristian Pless in straight sets.

The British number one beat Pless on his way to winning the San Jose event last week and defeated him 6-3 7-6 (7-4) to reach the last eight of the RMK championship in Tennessee.

Murray was pleased with his performance, but feels he needs to step up another level.
He stated: "I thought I hit the ball much better. I didn't serve that consistently but when my first serve went in I won 90% of the points.

"Maybe I need to play a little more aggressively on break points. I've been putting the return in play but not really following it up."

The teenager will now face Austria's Stefan Koubek in the next round, with the winner expected to face Andy Roddick - who beat Benjamin Becker 7-6 6-4.

Murray is the strong 1.16 favourite to defeat Koubek, with the Austrian - who beat Russia's Evgeny Korolev in the second round - trading at 6.8.

The Scot is now 3.35 to win the title, with Roddick currently heading the market at 2.92. Defending champion Tommy Haas can be backed at 4.1 to claim success this week.