Andy Murray in regal form to brush aside Richard Gasquet

• Briton steps up his power game to overcome Frenchman • ‘I was happy to get off. I’ll be hoping for thunderstorms later’ Andy Murray is through to the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the fourth year running, after defeating the French 17th seed Richard Gasquet 7-6, 6-3, 6-2 in a forceful display that got better the longer it went on and ended in clinical fashion. And he will feel satisfied that his focused display against the mercurial Frenchman, in front of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in the Royal Box, was a marked step up from his performances in the first week. There was to be no repeat of their epic round-of-16 match in 2008, which Murray came back to win from two sets to love down after Gasquet had served for the match. That was a defining moment in Murray’s Wimbledon career, remembered for the image of him bearing his bicep at the end, but Monday’s victory was more routine. Gasquet was the better player for much of the first set, at times displaying the superb touch and vision that took him to seventh in the world in 2007. He has been up and down since, but his impressive one-handed backhand remains a show stopping weapon and he lost just five points his serve. Murray was forced to save a break point in his first service game and laboured at times, with just 57% of his first attempts going in. The pair seemed to be having a personal duel to see who could execute the most audacious drop shot, with both offering up impressive examples. But displaying the big-game temperament that has served him well in recent years – at least until the final hurdle – Murray stepped up his game to seize the initiative in the first set tie break and clinched it 7-3. In the second set Murray became more aggressive from the baseline, stepping into his returns and winding up the tempo. His serve improved too, reaching speeds of 134mph, and he began to dominate his opponent. He secured a break point in the fifth with a backhand winner that had him pumping his fist and went on to take the second set 6-3. In doing so, he had just four unforced errors and produced 17 winners to Gasquet’s nine underlined his improvement. From there an increasingly confident Murray went on to seize full control, unleashing his full repertoire of shots. An almost perfect fifth game in the third set, which included two particularly fine crosscourt forehand passes that had the crowd on their feet, gave him another break. Gasquet’s challenge withered and Murray broke again to serve successfully for the match. Clearly satisfied with his afternoon’s work on a sweltering Centre Court, he bowed to the Royal Box before hurling his sweatbands and cap into the crowd. He said afterwards that the heat had taken “a bit of time to get used to” after the cooler climate at the French Open, Queen’s and the first week of Wimbledon. He also said he was pleased to close the match out in straight sets. “I was happy to get off and I’ll be hoping for a few thunderstorms later,” he quipped. It was Murray’s eighth straight victory and Judy Murray may yet be denied the opportunity to see the Spaniard Feliciano López – whom she has christened “Deliciano” much to her son’s embarrassment – who will have to come back from two sets down if he is to beat the Polish qualifier Lukasz Kubot. If Murray can overcome the winner of that match – and in this form it should be a formality – then a repeat of last year’s semi-final against Rafael Nadal awaits. Andy Murray Wimbledon 2011 Tennis Wimbledon Owen Gibson guardian.co.uk

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