Andy Murray beats Lucas Pouille in Shanghai Masters
Saturday 15 October 2016 13:02, UK
Andy Murray booked his place in the last eight of the Shanghai Masters with a dominant 6-1 6-3 victory over Lucas Pouille.
Murray moved into a quarter-final showdown with either David Goffin or Gael Monfils with a serene performance as he dispatched the world number 16 in 78 minutes for the loss of just four games.
A winner in Beijing at the China Open last week, Murray remains on course for a sixth title of the year and second Masters crown of 2016 having claimed the Rome Masters in May.
Pouille, who reached the quarter-finals of both Wimbledon and the US Open this year, was no match for Murray in the first set as Britain's world number two dropped just one game en route to sealing the opener in 39 minutes
A relentless Murray kept his foot down in the second set, breaking Pouille in the first game of the set and despite an improved showing from the 22-year-old, it was Murray who cruised in the last eight.
Having beaten Steve Johnson with ease on Thursday, the Scot may have been expecting a tougher test from Pouille who is enjoying his best ever season on the tour.
But Murray won the only previous meeting between the two, 6-2 6-1 at Rome Masters earlier this year, and he set about his task impressively with a dominant display in the first set.
Having held serve comfortably, he then broke Pouille in each of his first two service games, and with little trouble on his own serve, Murray was 5-0 in front after just half an hour.
The Frenchman came to life in the sixth game of the set, saving a break point that would have given Murray the set, before stringing together a couple of impressive points to get on the board.
A brilliant return winner saved a second set point, after a first on Murray's serve, but it just delayed the inevitable as Murray pounced to seize the initiative.
Murray struck again in the opening game of the second set, breaking the Pouille serve before backing up with another dominant hold of his own to maintain the pressure on the 22-year-old.
Pouille was on the board in the third game, three earlier than in the opening set, but Murray had little trouble in seeing off the Frenchman, breaking him again to seal his spot in the last eight.
Up next for Murray will be Belgium's David Goffin who kept alive his hopes of making the World Tour Finals with a hugely impressive victory against Gael Monfils.
Goffin, who reached the final in Japan last week, battled back from a set down to record a 4-6 6-4 6-2 victory that moves him into the quarter-finals.
Goffin is currently ranked 11th in the race standing but Monfils, Rafael Nadal, Tomas Berdych and Marin Cilic are all ranked above him and have been knocked out in Shanghai with eighth-rplaced Domin Thiem injured.
Follow the Shanghai Masters on Sky Sports all week with all four quarter-finals underway from 6am on Sky Sports 1 on Friday.
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