ATP Sony Open: Andreas Seppi stands in the way of in-form Andy Murray in Miami

Andy Murray takes on Andreas Seppi for a place in in the quarter-finals of the Miami Masters today.

Having beaten two of the sport's best young players - Bernard Tomic and Grigor Dimitrov - in his opening two matches, Murray now faces one of the veterans of the tour.

The Italian, 29, has been a fixture on the tour for 10 years, and has risen slowly but surely up the rankings and finally broke into the top 20 this year.

He is a solid, if unspectacular trier, but he does not have a serious weapon in his locker and that has stopped him from breaking into the big time.

Many pundits expected Seppi - seeded 16 in Miami - to lose his last match against the impressive Brazilian, Tomasz Bellucci, but he battled through it 7-5 4-6 6-2.

Dogged consistency, rather than flair, is the order of the day for Seppi and even in defeat he makes his opponents work hard for their victories.

He has met Murray five times and beat him the first time they played, at Eastbourne in 2006 when the Scot was just 19.

Since then the pair have met four times, on four different surfaces - and Murray has won the lot, all in straight sets.

He beat the Italian on grass at Queen's (2009), outdoor hard courts at Indian Wells (2010), on clay in Rome (2010) and on indoor hard courts in Rotterdam last year.

It is hard therefore to see how Seppi, a 6'3" right-hander, can trouble Murray in Miami on what is the No 2 seed's favourite surface.

The winner will advance to a last eight clash with either Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Marin Cilic.