Murray reaches last 16 of Australian Open following third-round win

Andy-MurrayLondon, Jan 18 : Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, who is playing in only his second tournament since under going back surgery, has strengthened his title chances with an impressive third-round victory over 26th seed Feliciano Lopez at the Australian Open on Saturday.

The British No. 1 won 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 6-2 on Hisense Arena to reach the last 16 of the tournament and will face France's Stephane Robert , who is the first man ever to make the fourth round after losing in qualifying only to get a 'lucky loser' place when another player withdrew.

According to the BBC, although neither player was at their sharpest in the early stages, Murray dropping serve immediately before Lopez returned the favour, but it was the Scot who posed the greater threat as he sealed the win in two hours and 15 minutes.

Murray will go into his fourth-round match as a heavy favourite but has played down his chances of winning a third Grand Slam title next Sunday, so early in his return from surgery, the report added. (ANI)