MELBOURNE, Australia -- Andy Murray overcame big-serving John Isner 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-2 on Sunday to set up a possible quarterfinal match against defending champion Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open tennis tournament.
The 22-year-old Scot rated Isner's serve among the best in the game, so he was delighted to wear down the Greensboro-born American after a crucial service break in the eighth game of the second set. He fended off break points in the next game to serve out the set.
"It's tough. I had my coach serving at me from the service line this morning to try to get used to it," Murray said of 6-foot-9 Isner's serve. "But once you get out there it's kind of tricky."
Murray broke serve again in the seventh game of the third set when the American netted a forehand and then smashed his racket into the court in disgust.
"It's been good. I moved really well since the start of the tournament," Murray said. "I didn't drop a set yet ... not too much to complain about."
So far.
Fifth-seeded Murray faces a daunting quarterfinal as he attempts to win his first major title. Nadal was scheduled to play Ivo Karlovic in the following match at Rod Laver Arena -- the winner meeting Murray in the next round.
The loss was Isner's first of the season, which started with his first career ATP title at Auckland 10 days ago.
Zheng Jie set another national mark by becoming the first Chinese player to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals when she beat Alona Bondarenko 7-6 (6), 6-4.
Zheng, 26, had already matched her previous best run at Melbourne Park by reaching the fourth round but is a win from equaling her best performance at a Grand Slam event. She charged to the Wimbledon semifinals in 2008, becoming only the second wild-card entry to reach the semis at a major and ousting then No. 1-ranked Ana Ivanovic along the way.
Top-ranked Roger Federer and Australian hope Lleyton Hewitt each won Saturday to set up a meeting in the fourth round. The winner of that could meet Nikolay Davydenko in the quarterfinals. Sixth-seeded Davydenko is on a 12-match streak, including wins over Federer and No. 2 Rafael Nadal. But he'll have to get past 2009 semifinalist Fernando Verdasco to get a shot at Federer or Hewitt.
Hewitt advanced when 2006 finalist Marcos Baghdatis retired with a right shoulder injury after falling behind 6-0, 4-2.
Federer ousted Albert Montanes 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
Novak Djokovic, who is ranked No. 3 and beat Federer in the semifinals en route to the 2008 title, defeated Denis Istomin 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 and next plays Poland's Lukasz Kubot. Kubot got a walkover when No. 20 Mikhail Youzhny withdrew with a wrist injury.
Sixth-seeded Davydenko beat Argentina's Juan Monaco 6-0, 6-3, 6-4 to set up the fourth-rounder against Verdasco, who advanced when Stefan Koubek retired because of a virus.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the 2008 runner-up, beat Tommy Haas to advance 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 7-5.
U.S. Open runner-up Caroline Wozniacki beat Israeli Shahar Peer 6-4, 6-0 and will play Li, who advanced 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 over 2008 semifinalist Daniela Hantuchova.
U.S. Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro was in action against No. 14 Marin Cilic, and No. 7 Andy Roddick faced No. 11 Fernando Gonzalez of Chile.
