Former Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has knocked seeded Matteo Berrettini out of the Australian Open after the final set went to a tie-break.
The first round upset in Melbourne saw Murray roll back the years with a 6-3 6-3 4-6 6-7 (7-9) 6-6 (*10-6) victory over Berrettini.
Bidding to beat a top-20 player at a grand slam for the first time since his hip problems began in 2017, Murray won the opening two sets before Berrettini fought back to level in a dramatic fourth-set tie-break.
The Scot was able to secure victory, one of his biggest in recent years, after four hours and 49 minutes of play.
Speaking on Eurosport after the match, Murray said that he will be feeling the effects of the 10 point tiebreaker this evening and tomorrow, but was “unbelievably happy and proud” of himself.
“I have put a lot of work in the last few months with my team to give me the opportunity to perform on matches like this against players like Matteo, and it paid off tonight,” he said.
“It feels like you are far away, and I was a bit of luck in the end with net cord. I think the tennis at the end was really good. He was serving unbelievable, and he is one of the best competitors on the tour. I did well to get through.
Andy Murray knocked out of US Open in third round by Italy’s Matteo Berrettini
Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu both out of Wimbledon after losing in second round
Andy Murray, Emma Raducanu and Cameron Norrie all win opening matches at Wimbledon
“I had a couple of break points early in the third set but didn’t get to him. It felt he was serving unbelievable. I made a couple of tweaks toward the end of the fifth set, maybe I could’ve done it sooner?”
The win for Murray comes after 2019, when he was given a career send-off at Melbourne Park, when he exited in the first round a year after his first hip operation.
After a second operation, where he received a metal hip, Murray made the decision to continue playing.
In 2016 he ranked No 1 but now at 35 years old, Murray is ranked No 66.
Elsewhere, in another victory for Great Britain, Dan Evans completed a four-set victory over Argentina’s Facundo Bagnis, after play had been suspended because of extreme heat.
The British No 2 had taken nearly three hours to open up a two-sets-to-one lead before play was halted.
He stepped up in the fourth with a break in the seventh game and served out a 6-4 4-6 6-4 6-4 victory.
