Andy Murray crushes Nick Kyrgios to reach fifth straight Australian Open semi-final

Andy Murray cruised into a fifth straight semi-final at the Australian Open after crushing home favourite Nick Kyrgios in straight sets in Melbourne.

The British number one quickly silenced the Rod Laver Arena crowd before prevailing 6-3 7-6 6-3 to set up a last-four meeting with Tomas Berdych, who defeated Rafael Nadal in three sets.

Krygios, playing in just his second grand slam quarter-final, was unable to rediscover the form that took him to the last eight or which saw him shock Nadal at Wimbledon last summer.

Murray, a three-time finalist in Australia, was quickly into his stride, breaking in the eighth game for a 4-2 lead before claiming the opening set in just 32 minutes.

The unseeded Kyrgios produced a brief revival in the second set, securing a tiebreak but he had no answer to Murray's coolness under pressure as the two-time grand slam winner doubled his advantage.

Kyrgios, 19, was beginning to show the physical scars from going the distance twice earlier in the tournament and Murray took full control as a result, breaking twice in the third set to slalom into the semi-final.

"It was a tricky match," the 27-year-old said. "I tried to start as quickly as possible because I know how dangerous Nick is. I've followed him. I know what he's capable of.

"I wasn't going to underestimate him at all. He's a huge hitter so I tried to keep it out of his strike zone but it was very windy so if you use the slice and keep the ball low, it makes it very tricky.

"I think the first thing is to try not to put too much pressure on him. He needs to be allowed to mature and develop and he's going to make some mistakes. He's young.

"Growing up in the spotlight isn't easy. He has a world-class serve. An easy motion so he doesn't put any stress on his body. I think he could be a little more intense at times.

"He has an extremely good forehand. But not many people have done what he's done at his age. Making two quarter-finals at grand slams as a teenager is rare. So he's done great."