Andy Murray made short work of big-hitting Frenchman Jeremy Chardy today as he cruised into his fourth successive Australian Open semi-final.
Chardy’s high-risk game only sparkled sporadically and Murray was largely untroubled as he won 6-4 6-1 6-2 to move into a last-four clash with the winner of the meeting between Roger Federer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Murray has yet to drop a set in Melbourne and never looked like doing so against the world number 36, whose main weapons his serve and booming forehand were never factors in the match.
“Today was the best I have played (in the tournament),” the Scot said. “I struggled in the last few rounds a little bit and my last opponent (Gilles Simon) was struggling physically so it wasn’t much of a match.
“Jeremy has beaten some great players so I had to come out sharp.”
As for tonight’s remaining semi-final, Murray revealed he would only give it brief consideration.
“I’ll watch a little bit but not the whole match,” he said. “I will get an early night and hope that Roger and Jo play for four or five hours!”
Chardy struggled throughout with a ball toss which prevented his serve from causing significant damage while Murray’s ability to persistently probe his opponent’s backhand never allowed him to find a regular groove on his groundstrokes.
All in all it was a much improved display from the US Open champion, who is seeking to become the first man in the Open era to follow up his maiden grand slam triumph by also winning the next major.