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Scoreline Murray 6-3, 7-6, 6-3
Murray with a professional performance tonight and he shows why he is a genuine threat at the Australian Open. Kyrgios pushed him considerably in the second set and had his chances to force the issue but some unforced errors at key moments really cost him dearly. Murray was extremely solid off the forehand and backhand side tonight and he now faces Berdych for a place in the Aus Open final.
Two-time major winner Andy Murray stands in the way of Nick Kyrgios as the Australian bids to reach a maiden Australian Open semi-final. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 7:00pm AEDT.
Kyrgios showed tremendous fighting qualities to defeat the in-form Andreas Seppi in the fourth round and his reward is a showdown against former Wimbledon and US Open champion Murray.
Although Kyrgios managed to rally from two sets down against Seppi, he can ill-afford to give Murray such a start tonight on Rod Laver Arena.
Murray is in exceptional form at the moment as evidenced by his strong four-set victory over the talented Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in the fourth round.
Indeed Murray doesn’t need too much introduction. His court coverage is right up there with the very best the ATP tour has to offer and his ball striking is a lot more aggressive than what it was five or so years ago.
In short, Murray is a significant step up in class compared to Kyrgios’ previous opponents at the Australian Open and the young man from Canberra is certainly aware of what the Scotsman brings to the table.
In their only meeting so far, Murray easily defeated Kyrgios in straight sets at the Toronto Masters last year.
Despite the defeat, Kyrgios does possess the arsenal to trouble any player on the ATP tour. His serve, forehand and backhand are all major weapons and if Kyrgios finds his range early and builds confidence, than Murray may find it difficult to control the tempo of this contest.
Although a semi-final spot is on the line tonight, Kyrgios really has nothing to lose. Given his recent issues with back problems, a quarter-final birth is a tremendous achievement and the young Australian really should come out swinging against Murray.
At his best, Kyrgios has what it takes to cause the upset tonight. His form during matches though can be hot and cold and such inconsistency may prove his undoing against a quality opponent like Murray.
Prediction: Murray in four sets.