Britain’s Andy Murray beat world number 11 David Goffin – his highest-ranked opponent since returning from hip surgery – to reach the Shenzhen Open quarter-finals.

Scot Murray, 31, won 6-3 6-4 against the Belgian top seed in China.

Former world number one Murray, now ranked 311th in the world, returned in June after almost a year out.

Next he will face Taro Daniel or fifth seed Fernando Verdasco, who beat Murray at the US Open in August.

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Murray took only 37 minutes to win the first set and was serving for the match at 5-2 in the second, only for Goffin to break back.

Goffin, 27, won the next game and had a break point to level the set at 5-5, but Murray saved and then held to secure victory in one hour 35 minutes and maintain his 100% record against Goffin.

Three-time Grand Slam champion Murray is playing his sixth tournament since hip surgery in January and returning to the ATP Tour in June.

This will be his penultimate event of the year, with only the China Open in Beijing in October to follow.

He will end his season early in an attempt to be in “the best shape possible” for the start of 2019.

Murray made his return to Grand Slam tennis at the US Open last month, when he was beaten by Spain’s Verdasco in the second round.