Andy Murray continued his unerring march at the Australian Open with another comfortable three-set victory over Gilles Simon of France in the fourth round, as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga saw off the challenge of French compatriot Richard Gasquet.
The world No.3 Murray has been looking better with every match, despite being made to work in his previous round, and Simon rarely stood a chance against the guile and winning-experience of the Brit, with Murray sealing a 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 victory over the Frenchman.
In the quarterfinals, Murray will face Jeremy Chardy, another Frenchman, who continued his run at the Open, after upsetting Juan Martin Del Potro in the previous round, with a hard-fought 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory over No.22 seed Andreas Seppi of Italy.
"I'm very happy," said Chardy, advancing to the quarterfinals for the first time in Grand Slams. "When I am coming here, I didn't play very well since the beginning of the year. After my first win, I feel more relaxed, more confident. Now I'm in quarterfinal.
"Just like a dream. I play very well on court. I feel very well. I play solid. It's good for my tennis.
"I know I can beat everybody. So when I feel confident, I believe in me. Against Del Potro, I play a very good match. So it was good for my head.
"And today it was difficult after my win yesterday. I think when I lose the first set 7-5, I forget it. I say, OK, now I have to play, because I was a little bit nervous. After, I played more relaxed. After, I played three very good sets."
Chardy has good memories of playing Murray, having beaten him at the Cincinnati Masters last year.
"I win already against him, so it's good for the confidence when you go on court," he added. "Last year I play a perfect match against him.
"If I have to play against him again, it will be another match, a very tough match. So, I have to continue on this way. If I have a chance, I have to try to take it because I think Andy is one of the best players. So it will be a tough match."
Seventh seed Tsonga overcame the challenge of Gasquet in impressive fashion, beating his fellow countryman 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Roger Federer now potentially lies in wait for the flamboyant Frenchman, with the Swiss master to take on Milos Raonic of Canada later on in the night session.
"Anyway, I expect a good opponent. "If it's Rog, it's going to be, of course, very difficult. He beat me here once or twice -- no, once. I don't know," Tsonga said with a smile.
"But, anyway, I lost many times against this guy. So, of course, play against him, it's going to be a big challenge for me. And if it's Raonic, I know he's confident. He's playing well at this time."
