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England’s Andy Murray reacts as he plays against Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut during their men’s singles match on day six of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 21, 2023. (Photo by Manan VATSYAYANA/AFP)
Andy Murray at 4:05 am finally caught up with him at the Australian Open as the Brit bowed out in a typically defiant style to Roberto Bautista Agut in the third round on Saturday.
Murray, 35, was clearly feeling the effects of his epic five-setter in round two, which began on Thursday but ended on Friday.
Spain’s 24th-seeded Bautista won 6-1, 6-7 (7/9), 6-3, 6-4 and faces Tommy Paul of the United States in the last 16.
Former world number one Murray, who has a metal hip after career-saving surgery four years ago, was 3-0 down in quick succession in the first set.
But the three-time Grand Slam champion had a strong Margaret Court Arena in the corner and a huge cheer went up when he finally got on the board, holding serve for 3-1.
It was only a temporary reprieve as the Spaniard ran away with the first set in 29 minutes.
Murray held serve to start the second set but he looked lethargic, having been forced to five sets in his previous two matches.
An epic five-setter in the second round against Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis lasted five hours and 45 minutes – the longest match of Murray’s career.
He committed a double fault to fall behind 2-1 in the second set to Bautista, Murray venting his frustration.
Fifth-time runner-up at the Australian Open Murray has made a dramatic career comeback and he threatened one more when he pulled back at 4-4, to the delight of the crowd.
Murray doesn’t know when to stop.
His opponent then had two set points in the second set tiebreak, only for Murray to roar back to win 9-7 and claim the set.
Bautista earned a break to claim the third set, but Murray would not go away in the fourth set, despite the match lasting three hours on court.
Then came the killer blow when 34-year-old Bautista broke Murray for a 5-4 lead, then sealed the deal on the first match point when the Englishman returned to the net.
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