Murray withstands a storm

Andy Murray ended Alexandr Dolgopolovs brilliant debut at Melbourne Park.

Andy Murray ended Alexandr Dolgopolovs brilliant debut at Melbourne Park,slaying the giant-killing Ukrainian 7-5 6-3 6-7 6-3 with an impeccable defensive game to ease into the semi-finals of the Australian Open on Wednesday. Up two sets and a break in the third,the fifth-seeded Scot appeared to be cruising to victory but was stunned when Dolgopolov broke back and prevailed 7-3 in a tense tiebreaker.

The resurgence was to prove fleeting,however,as the world number 46 self-destructed early in the fourth set,falling back 4-0 to allow Murray to calmly serve out the 186-minute match on a chilly summers day at Rod Laver Arena. With his game style,hes going to give a lot of guys problems, said Murray,who scrambled doggedly to chase down his opponents baseline rockets all afternoon.

He might be a little bit inconsistent from time to time. But when his games on,Im sure hell get deep into grand slams and the big tournaments just because of how tricky his game is.

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Murray,beaten by Roger Federer for the title last year,will battle Spaniard David Ferrer for a place in the final as he seeks to end Britains 75-year wait for a mens grand slam champion. Having mowed through his four previous opponents without conceding a set,Murray faced a far different beast against the unorthodox Dolgopolov,who stunned fourth seeded Robin Soderling in five sets in the fourth round.

The Scots serve had been virtually impenetrable throughout Melbourne Park,but he found himself on the back foot from the very first game,and would have been down a break had Dolgopolov not sprayed a regulation forehand volley long.

Murray revels in punishing opponents for loose play and duly motored to 4-1 as the Ukrainians baseline blasts sailed past the lines as on the way to notching up 77 unforced errors. Dolgopolov quickly found his line,though,and blasted an outside forehand crosscourt to break back to 4-4,but the Scot ratcheted up the pressure at 6-5,whipping a down-the-line backhand winner to wrap up the 57-minute first set.

The blow seemed to drain the blood from Dolgopolovs game,and the Ukrainian dragged himself listlessly around the court as his serve lost its venom in the second set.