Andy Murray overcomes ankle injury to beat Sam Querrey and remain on course for first Australian Open title

Murray went into the third round match with a sore right ankle but came through the encounter with flying colours a day after rival Novak Djokovic crashed out

Andy Murray celebrates his victory over Sam Querrey after reaching the Australian Open fourth round (Getty)

In the highly unlikely event that Andy Murray needed a reminder of the potential banana skins that can litter a top player’s path in a Grand Slam tournament, the man standing on the other side of the net in his third-round match here at the Australian Open provided one.

Twenty-four hours after Novak Djokovic had been knocked out in one of the greatest shocks in tennis history, Murray faced Sam Querrey, who had pulled off another major upset last summer by beating Djokovic in the third round at Wimbledon.

Might lightning strike again? We soon had the answer as Murray, focused and on his game from the start, rarely looked in danger of following his great rival out of the tournament. Querrey’s hopes rose briefly in a tightly contested third set before Murray closed out a 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 victory to secure a fourth-round meeting with Germany’s Mischa Zverev.

Querrey, a strapping 6ft 6in American, hit the ball with all his usual power, but Murray looked on top of his game. The world No 1 served well, hit his forehand especially sweetly and chased down everything, showing little signs of any problems with his right ankle, which he had injured in his second-round victory over Andrey Rublev.

“I felt better and better as the match went on in terms of my movement,” Murray said afterwards. “I was maybe a little bit hesitant at the beginning because it was just a little bit sore, but I was moving well at the end, so it was very positive.”

Denis Istomin’s remarkable victory over Djokovic on Thursday had left Murray as the odds-on favourite to win the title for the first time. Four of the Scot’s five defeats in finals here have been at the hands of Djokovic, with Roger Federer the only other player to have beaten him at Melbourne Park since 2010.

Djokovic is also the only player who has beaten Murray – in the final of the Qatar Open in the first week of the new year – in the 32 matches he has played since his Davis Cup defeat to Juan Martin del Potro in September.

Querrey had proved his threat against Djokovic at Wimbledon last summer, though his first two matches here, which were both against wild cards, might not have been the best preparation for a meeting with the world No 1.

Murray had won six of his previous seven meetings with Querrey, but this was their first since the Scot won their Davis Cup encounter on a clay court in San Diego three years ago. Querrey had reached the third round here on four previous occasions but had never progressed any further.

After heavy overnight and morning rain the roofs of the three show courts had been shut for the first matches, but by the time Murray and Querrey started at 3.45pm the rain had stopped. The roof over Hisense Arena, which is the third of the show courts, was opened, but at 19C the air temperature was distinctly chilly by Melbourne standards.

Murray was still frustrated at times despite his straight sets victory (Getty)

Querrey forced the first break point at 4-3 but netted a backhand, after which Murray held serve. The Scot broke in the next game, the last three points of which encapsulated many of his finest qualities.

The first demonstrated his brilliant defensive abilities as two superb lobs from difficult positions kept him in the point before Querrey, apparently frustrated at his failure to put his man away, hit a backhand wide. A thumping forehand cross-court return winner took Murray to break point, which he converted with another stunning lob as Querrey attacked the net. In the following game Murray served out to take the set in 42 minutes.

The first break of serve had been all about Murray’s brilliance, but the second, in the third game of the second set, was all down to Querrey’s carelessness. The American, trying to up the tempo, hit the ball long on all four points and dropped his serve to love.

Murray was flying by now and at 2-4 Querrey was broken again, this time to 15. Murray again served out for the set, this time finishing off his man with a series of big shots which ended with Querrey netting a backhand.

The world No 32 retrieved an early break at the start of the third set and pushed Murray hard until he served at 4-4 and 30-30, when Murray defended as if his life depended on it as Querrey went on the attack. Murray somehow dug out a ball which he had no right to reach, after which an apparently stunned Querrey netted what should have been the easiest of volleys.

A forehand winner gave Murray the break and he promptly served out for victory. After double-faulting on his first match point he hit a service winner on his second.

“It was obviously a tough match,” Murray said afterwards. “Sam, especially in the first set, was hitting a huge ball and served extremely well. There was a key moment at 3-4 in the first set when I saved a break point and then managed to break in the next game and had the momentum after that.”

Djokovic was knocked out by Denis Istomin on Thursday (Getty)

Asked if he had had the right preparation for the challenges that lie ahead, Murray said: “I think so. We’ve played in all different conditions. On the first day I played it was extremely hot. Then I played the night match. Then today was pretty cool and breezy, so I’ve played in all the conditions. Hopefully I can keep it going.”

Murray is through to the fourth round for the ninth year in a row at the Grand Slam tournament where he has enjoyed the most consistent success. His 48th victory here takes him to joint fourth on the Open era list alongside his coach, Ivan Lendl, and Andre Agassi. Only Roger Federer, Djokovic and Stefan Edberg have won more matches at the Australian Open.

Murray shakes hands with Sam Querrey after their third round encounter (Getty)

Zverev, Murray’s next opponent, earned his place in the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time when he beat Tunisia’s Malek Jaziri 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, 6-0. Zverev, the world No 50, has spent much of his career on the Challenger tour and has been overshadowed in recent times by his hugely talented younger brother, Alexander. Murray won their only tour-level meeting on clay in Munich two years ago, but Zverev has been in some of the best form of his life in recent months.