Cool Andy Murray ready for Tomas Berdych battle

Andy Murray set his sights on getting the better of an old friend after ending home hopes in the Australian Open in ruthless style in Melbourne.

Murray silenced a 15,000-strong crowd on Rod Laver Arena by using all his experience to beat talented teenager Nick Kyrgios 6-3 7-6 (7/5) 6-3 yesterday and set up a clash with Czech Tomas Berdych, who had earlier dispatched Rafael Nadal in similar fashion.

Berdych is coached by Murray’s long-term friend and former assistant coach Dani Vallverdu, who — along with fitness trainer Jez Green — left the Murray camp at the end of last season.

Murray said: “We’ll see how the match plays out and what the tactics are and stuff. But I also know what Dani thinks of Berdych’s game because he’s told me, so it works both ways!”

Nadal refused to make any excuses after his record-equalling winning streak over Berdych came to a comprehensive end.

“I am feeling okay. Just was not my day,” said Nadal, whose sole Australian Open title to date came back in 2009. “I didn’t play with the right intensity, with the right rhythm, and the opponent played better than me.

“It is a day that I just can congratulate my opponent. It is obvious that I needed something more to be more competitive, as I did in the third set.”

“But is obvious that before I didn’t play with the right confidence, with the right intensity, losing court (position), playing very short. I make him play very easy. So you cannot expect to win matches in quarter-finals of a grand slam helping the opponent to play well.

“Since the beginning of the third, I played with more character, more the way that I have to play to have chances to be where I want to be.”