Andy Murray will face Gilles Simon in the quarter-finals of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam after defeating Vasek Pospisil in straight sets.
Murray, who lost out to Novak Djokovic in the final of the Australian Open earlier this month, came through 6-3 7-5 and will meet eighth seed Simon in the last eight.
The match against the 24-year-old Canadian was not a walkover for Murray and he needed to fight back from a break of serve down in the second set to win, but the world number four showed his class and claimed victory in one hour and 43 minutes.
The first set progressed on serve until the eighth game where Murray found the crucial break, but Pospisil started well and pushed the Scot with a 30-shot rally to draw level at 2-2, showing his intent.
Murray, however, moved 4-3 up after the most comfortable service game of the match while Pospisil struggled to find consistency in the next with his own serve, which allowed Murray to claim a break out of nowhere.
It gave him the chance to serve for the first set which Murray took, winning 6-3 in 36 minutes.
Murray took control of the second set after breaking Pospisil with a great return down the line to move 3-2 up but was broken back immediately thanks to the Canadian's best return of the match.
Pospisil clawed his way back in front on his own serve before pushing Murray close to a break, with the Scot losing his cool and breaking his racquet after slamming it into the court when his first serve went awry.
Pospisil claimed the vital break and Murray looked disgusted with himself as the world number 59 moved 5-3 up in the second, however the Scot broke back to put the set back on serve then levelled at 5-5.
With the whole court at his mercy and another chance to break Pospisil, Murray sent his cross-court forehand wide to take the 11th game of the set back to deuce, but he eventually came through to win the game and earn the chance to serve for the match.
He duly took it and moved into the last eight where he will meet Frenchman Simon, who progressed thanks to a routine 6-4 6-3 win over Jeremy Chardy.
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