Andy Murray's next opponent at the Australian Open is Joao Sousa

Joao Sousa won't relish taking on Andy Murray in the third round of the Australian Open because the British No 1 seems to have his number.

Murray has won all six of their previous meetings although the world No 33, who stands at 6ft 1in, is improving steadily.

After finishing as runner-up in Geneva, Umag and St Petersburg, Guimaraes-born Sousa finally ended his two-year title drought by landing his second career title in Valencia last year.

Sousa, who has been based in Spain since he was 15 years old, has made significant improvements to his game in the last two years, rising from world No 106 to a career-high 33 heading into the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne.

World No 2 Murray had said that he is expecting a different challenge from Sousa, who took him to four sets in the second round at last year's French Open.

"This is twice I played him here. He's almost the opposite to Groth really. Plays predominantly from the back of the court," he said.

"If I play well, I've got a good chance. But he's the sort of player that if your level's not quite there, he'll make it very tough for you, as he did when I played him at the French Open."

Sousa defeated Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3 6-4 6-3 and followed that up with a 6-3 7-5 3-6 6-1 success against Santiago Giraldo to set up a last-32 clash.

The Scot has met Portuguese No 1 Sousa twice before at the Australian Open, with Murray winning in straight sets on both occasions in 2013 and 2015. He will be aiming for a repeat performance on Saturday.

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