A budding bromance is brewing between Andy Murray and Nick Kyrgios but this SW19 showdown was about as lingering and sentimental as a Glasgow kiss. The Scot extended his friend about as much charity as the Campbells once offered to the McDonalds as this massacre unfolded by a 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 scoreline in just 103 minutes. This was Glencoe in reverse, with the World No 2 issuing the sternest of reminders that this is his house. With friends like these, who needs enemies?

As he retired to the clubhouse afterwards, Murray could also reflect that he was now fifty not out. Phil Tufnell might have dropped a slip catch in the Royal Box from an Australian top edge in the knock-up but the Scot is clearly determined not to let his glorious chance at this year's SW19 slip through his fingers. The World No 2 moved onto a half century of wins at the All England Club with this last 16 victory against the 21-year-old Australian an his innings at this year's Wimbledon is far from over.

While the other big hitters of the draw continue to drop like ninepins - yesterday it was the turn of the bodies of Kei Nishikori and Richard Gasquet to give way - Murray has played it all with a straight bat and has now racked up his ninth Wimbledon quarter final in a row. It will come against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a man who benefited from the withdrawal of Richard Gasquet yesterday and there is fresh hope hat he may yet be granted the last laugh in an era where some felt he was always fated to be forever in the shadow of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Tufnell's unintentional sense of comic timing would surely have been appreciated by Kevin Bridges, the Glaswegian comic another man who Murray arranged tickets for yesterday. The gallus Aussie might have all the patter but this match quickly became no laughing matter as the Scot completed a clean sweep against Kyrgios in their fourth major meeting in the last 18 months. The native of Canberra had described his friend and regular practice partner, as "instant banter" but with the 21-year-old's spirit crushed after losing a tight first set, he soon found himself being dragged this way and that by the accuracy and variety of the Scot's shot-making. At one point during the third set, he scurried after a wicked Murray lob only to succeed in lashing the ball clean over the Centre Court stands. It was symbolic of a match where the Scot was hitting him for six.

Kyrgios had called this arena Andy Murray's 'backyard' pre-match but typically it was the 21-year-old Australian who strode out onto Centre Court first, casually texting someone on his smartfone as if he was back home in Canberra, then larking around in the knock-up. Danny Willett sat smugly in his fresh Masters green jacket, perhaps knowing that perennial nearly man Lee must have wanted to grab him by the lapels. As it turned out, Kyrgios' preparation had included watching Lleyton Hewitt play doubles with his son.

Both Serena Williams and a rather ashen-faced ball boy had slipped on the Centre Court turf during the previous match - enough rationale for Williams to demand the roof be closed - but we were back in the open air as this match began, looking at a succession of gloomy clouds as they passed overhead.

The first set too was one of threatened openings rather than a deluge of opportunities. The crowd were into it from the start - "Ladies and gentlemen, please keep your enthusiasm until after the point," the umpire warned them - but neither man had forced a break point until the 12th game of the match, when three chances to win the set came along for Murray. Having reminded him that there was no more Mr Nice Guy in the previous game by blasting the ball straight through him, Lendl-style, at the net in a manner which left Kyrgios tongue out, grimacing like a New Zealand rugby player performing the Haka, the Scot saw a Kyrgios ace and a service winner fly by before he forced the Aussie into a forehand volley too many and the set was his.

Murray grew in confidence but Kyrgios simply got careless. The Australian slipped on the turf when wrongfooted by a backhand pass, and soon those flashy drop shots and tweener lobs were seeming increasingly reckless as he casually surrendered that second set in just 26 minutes. An early break in the third was all it took to see matters through, although it took three match points before the Scot could finish him off, sealing the deal with his eighth ace of the day.

These two men friendly foes embraced each other warmly at the net, but the Scot is quite right to keep all other sentiment to the minimum. He has three more matches to navigate before he can call himself Wimbledon champion again.