Murray continues good start to year

(GETTY IMAGES)

Andy Murray took his place in the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open in Doha with a comfortable 6-2 6-4 victory over Germany's Philipp Petzschner today.

The 2008 US Open finalist was rarely troubled by his opponent as he remained on course to defend his title in the Gulf state and continued his build-up to the Australian Open later this month.

Murray claimed the initial break in the third game, albeit at the fifth time of asking after unsettling the German with some dogged defence.

The breakthrough came when a trademark Murray drop shot set up break-point. A Petzschner lob then went long, and the 21-year-old Scot held for a 3-1 lead.

The 24-year-old from Bayreuth looked a real threat at times on his favoured forehand from the baseline, but world number four Murray extended his advantage to 5-2 with another break in the seventh game and took the set on his second set-point when a Petzschner backhand landed wide.

The world number 66 then meekly surrendered his serve in game three of the second set to love, Murray claiming a 2-1 lead as the German sent a forehand long to compound a series of unforced errors which started with a double-fault.

Murray moved 3-1 ahead by holding in game four and served out the match in the 10th game, claiming the second of three match points.