Match practice for the Australian Open may have been Andy Murray's game plan at the Brisbane International but he will have no complaints with his quarter-finals quick kill on Friday.
World Number four Murray crushed doubles partner Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus 6-2, 6-2 and will face the winner of Friday's quarter-final between Bernard Tomic and Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin in a semi-final on Saturday.
Keen for court time ahead of the Australian Open after overcoming a groin strain, top seed Murray has already had plenty of that at the Brisbane International while nursing a right knee complaint.
The Scot had lost the first set in each of his previous matches, grinding out three-set wins over journeymen Mikhail Kukushkin and Gilles Muller.
But there were no such struggles on Friday as he ditched the knee strapping for the first time in Brisbane and brushed aside the world number 44 in just over an hour.
It seems the hard work is paying off for Murray ahead of the Australian Open where he has been runner-up the past two years.
Indeed Murray, 24, is leaving no stone unturned as he bids to become the first British grand slam champion in 76 years.
He has booked a one-off appearance at next week's Kooyong Classic to top up his Australian Open preparation under new coach Ivan Lendl, who flew into Melbourne on Friday.
A day after losing a doubles quarter-final alongside Baghdatis, Murray stared down the Cypriot from the other side of the net on Friday.
Murray may have come off a fourth-straight number four year-end finish, but he trailed 2006 Australian Open runner-up Baghdatis 3-2 in head-to-head meetings.
The Scot seemed determined to rectify that from the outset, racing to a 4-0 lead in the first set.
Moving freely for the first time at the tournament, Murray sealed the opening set in 30 minutes after twice breaking Baghdatis.
Baghdatis - who had not dropped a set before the quarter-final - tried to fight back in the second, threatening to break Murray's serve in the fourth and sixth games.
But Murray showed his class - and an ever-improving serve - to win the set in 35 minutes.
French second seed Gilles Simon was the first man through to Saturday's semi-finals after ousting Colombian Santiago Giraldo 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 on Thursday.
Simon will take on Russia's world number 15 Alexandr Dolgopolov after the third seed outlasted ex-champion Radek Stepanek, the sixth-seeded Czech, in their quarter-final 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Thursday night.
AAP
Tags: tennis, sport, brisbane-4000, qld, australia First posted January 06, 2012 17:05:39
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