Andy Murray has admitted that it was important to conserve energy in a 6-1 6-1 7-5 victory over Joao Sousa in the third round of the Australian Open.

The sixth seed was comfortable for the majority of the match, despite a spirited fightback from his Portuguese opponent in the third set, and he was quick to acknowledge the advantage of winning in straight sets ahead of his fourth-round clash with Grigor Dimitrov.

"I was up two sets and 4-1, but he got back into it," Murray revealed on court after the match. "He competed very well. He always does and made it difficult in the end, but it was a good match.

"I'm feeling pretty good so far. I have played three quite quick matches which helps, but you expect the matches to get a little tougher as you go through each round so if you can conserve energy, that's always good."

Dimitrov secured the meeting with Murray thanks to a win over Marcos Baghdatis in five sets.