By Alberto Amalfi | Wednesday, October 5, 2016
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Photo credit: China Open
Andy Murray unleashed a razor-sharp return to shred Andrey Kuznetsov's serve.
The top-seeded Murray won 13 of 19 points played on Kuznetsov's first serve and broke serve seven times in a 6-2, 6-1 sweep at the China Open.
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Murray's win sets up an all-British Beijing quarterfinal against Davis Cup teammate Kyle Edmund.
The 54th-ranked qualifier toppled seventh-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
It was the fourth straight victory for Edmund, who won two matches in qualifying. Edmund reached his first ATP quarterfinal since Queen's Club in June where he lost to Murray, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.
Fifth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer did not face a break point continuing his mastery of Fabio Fognini, 6-3, 6-4. Ferrer raised his record to 11-0 vs. the mercurial Italian, including a five-set victory at the US Open in August.
The 34-year-old Ferrer will play the youngest man still standing in the field, 19-year-old Alexander Zverev, for a semifinal spot and shot at the Murray-Edmund winner.
The red-hot Zverev extended his winning streak to seven matches with a 6-4, 6-2 dismissal of Jack Sock. Zverev, who defeated US Open champion Stan Wawrinka to capture his first career ATP title in St. Petersburg last month, hit eight aces and converted three of four break points.
It was a day of defeat for a trio of Americans.
No. 8-seeded Richard Gasquet rallied past Sam Querrey, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, setting up a second-round meeting with Pablo Carreno Busta. The Spaniard swept Bernard Tomic, 6-3, 6-1.
Grigor Dimitrov warded off Steve Johnson, 7-5, 6-7 (9), 6-4. Dimitrov scored the lone break of the final set. The 20th-ranked Bulgarian will face sixth-seeded Lucas Pouille for a place in the quarterfinals.