Murray has been in simply sublime form so far, dropping just 17 games in total over three match. His third round win over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez could hardly have been more one-sided. Melbourne seems to bring the best out of Murray, this is the cleanest he's struck the ball since his run to the final last year and he seems to be playing with a new vein of confidence and freedom.
However this fourth round match-up has the potential to be a real treat for tennis fans as Melzer is also in the form of his life. A late bloomer, the Austrian has finally realised his potential over the past year, rising to a career high ranking of 11 and he's eased through the draw so far. He was handing Marcos Baghdatis a complete beating in the third round before the Cypriot retired injured.
“He plays high-risk tennis but he has definitely improved," Murray said looking ahead to the match.
"The older he has got, the better he has started to play. He has started to understand his game better."
As well as Melzer is playing, Murray has won all four of his matches against the Austrian, beating him 7-5, 6-0, 6-3 in Melbourne two years ago. However Melzer still feels he has a shot, reminding everyone that he led Murray by two sets to love at the 2008 US Open before the Brit hit back and went on to reach the final.
“He is playing well, he has great defensive skills, it is like two gameplans meeting each other," Melzer said. "He killed me here in 2009 but the other matches have all been close. I am going to be the one dictating the points. If I can keep my unforced errors low, push him around, I think I have a chance to beat him."