Andy Murray overpowered Ivan Ljubicic in the AAMI Kooyong Classic and then declared himself fit and ready to challenge for honours at the Australian Open.

Murray was given the chance to avenge his defeat by the Croatian in the final of the Qatar Open last week and took it with a solid 6-4 6-2 victory.

The 19-year-old is competing against seven other players - including former winners Andy Roddick and Roger Federer - in the Kooyong exhibition, which sees each competitor play three matches before a final on Saturday.

Murray got off to a fine start with a win over the man who beat him 6-4 6-4 to take the title in Doha and has now set his sights on performing at this month's grand slam.

Murray said: "I think I've learned to deal with things better, and I'm much stronger, not just physically but mentally as well.

Betterbet.com make Murray a 33/1 chance to win his first Grand Slam, with Federer the red hot 2/5 favourite.