Brisbane International: Andy Murray Books Quarter Final Place With Win Over Gilles Muller

ANDY MURRAY continued to do it the hard way as he reached the last eight of the Brisbane International with a three-set win over Gilles Muller today.

The British number one went a set down for the second day in succession after a woeful final service game, but levelled after a second-set tie-break.

And he rampaged through the final set without dropping a game to complete a 4-6 7-6 (7/4) 6-0 success and set up a quarter-final against Marcos Baghdatis.

Muller comfortably held his opening service game and Murray responded in kind, despite double-faulting on his first game point.

Murray forced the match's first break point in game three but his opponent produced a big serve and went on to hold.

The match remained on serve as far as 3-3 and, though Muller was taken to multiple deuces in his next service game, he prevailed to move 4-3 up.

Murray followed his fifth ace with his second double fault but comfortably pulled level again, but he was left serving to stay in the set after Muller held once more.

And he was broken to love as Muller made the most of his increasingly dominant groundstrokes to close out the set 6-4.

While Murray's 64% first-serve success rate was solid, he had won just two of nine points on his second, exacerbated by those two doubles.

But he responded well to going a set behind, breaking in the first game of the second set courtesy of a superb return on second serve.

He defended the break and then pegged Muller back from 40-15 to deuce, but this time the Luxembourg player held firm.

And he broke back in the fourth game, with the aid of a fortunate cross-court winner off his backhand, and then held for a 3-2 lead.

An ace settled his next service game in his favour as the set score reached 4-3 and Murray was forced to dig deep when trailing 15-40 in the next game, two big serves denying Muller the chance to serve for the match.

It meant the world number four would instead have to serve to stay in it, but he did so to make it 5-5. A love hold for Muller forced him to repeat the feat, but he duly set up a tie-break and claimed an early mini-break.

Muller twice netted before Murray moved 6-2 up with an outlandish backhand winner, and he took his third set point to take the match into a decider.

He raced to a love hold in the opening game and followed it with another early break en route to a 3-0 lead.

A second break and a hold from 0-30 down meant Muller was the one serving to stay in the match - and he was unable to do so, Murray completing a final-set whitewash to seal a quarter-final spot.

Brisbane Accommodation at Metro Hotel Tower Mill

Kim Clijsters to Boost Brisbane International Field

BRISBANE fell in love with Kim Clijsters in 2010.

This year, the Belgian who has long been dubbed "Aussie Kim" lived up to that name when she won the Australian Open.

Yesterday, she became the latest in a string of big-name signings for the Brisbane International, where she will start preparing the defence of her Australian Open crown from January 1-8.

"I am looking forward to getting back on the court in Australia," Clijsters said.

"Australia has always been a home away from home for me and I am very comfortable there."

After she won a punishing 2010 Brisbane International final against countrywoman Justine Henin, Clijsters donated her champion's cheque to the Royal Children's Hospital, winning hearts all over the state.

"The final against Justine was a big match," Clijsters said.

"We both played great tennis, we were extremely focused and we set the bar pretty high. I was so excited to win that match and I am hoping to get this kind of lead-up preparation again."

Clijsters, who has slipped to No.10 in the world after an injury-plagued year, is making her comeback from a torn stomach muscle that prevented her from defending her US Open title last month.

The Brisbane tournament had hoped to welcome the popular mother of one back this year. But with women's tour rules restricting the number of top-10 players in the draw to just one, homegrown star Sam Stosur took that spot.

Since being elevated to a Premier-level event from next year, those limitations have been lifted and the prize pool increased 63 per cent to $1.1 million.

Tournament director Cameron Pearson was thrilled to put Clijsters' name on the bill again.

"She's been the favourite daughter, if you like, of the crowd that we have out to the Brisbane International," he said.

"This year we've got her back, which we're stoked with."

Joining Clijsters in a star-studded line-up will be world No.2 Maria Sharapova, Serbian drawcard Ana Ivanovic and Stosur.

Serena Williams, runner-up to Stosur at the US Open last month, also confirmed she would make her Brisbane International debut, as revealed exclusively in The Courier-Mail yesterday.

"It will help me with my seeding going into the Australian Open, too, so that would be good," said 13-time Grand Slam champion Williams, now ranked 14th after a long injury spell.

"I'm really excited to see everything, like how people are. I have such a great fan base in Australia."

About 67,000 people passed through the gates of the Queensland Tennis Centre at Tennyson for last year's event, with organisers targeting a crowd of 80,000 for next year.