Andy Murray battled past 21st seed Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-1 3-6 6-4 6-7(5) 6-4 to reach the second round of the Australian Open.
It was another typical Andy Murray grand slam match as a three hour marathon was won by the Brit to reach round two.
The three-time grand slam champion has beaten Basilashvili twice in the space of seven days and will now face Taro Daniel on Thursday.
Murray dominated the opening set against an error-prone Basilashvili as his defence was already peaking.
Three consecutive breaks gave Murray the set lead after taking the first set 6-1.
Basilashvili would return the favour in the second set as the Georgian continued to hammer his shots off of both wings.
A 4-1 double break lead was established as we would get the first frustrated mutterings from Murray.
The former world number one would get one of the breaks back but Basilashvili’s consistent firepower would prove too much for Murray’s stubborn defence as another break sealed the second set 6-3.
Into the third set, Murray would control the dynamic of the set on serve as he made bold patterns of play on big points.
An exchange of three breaks in a row saw Murray come out on top as he looked to use a mixture of power and defensive solidity to outmanoeuvre Basilashvili.
The Georgian saved three set points to force Murray to serve out the set but that didn’t matter as the Brit closed out the set comfortably for a 2 sets to 1 lead.
Nothing was easy for Andy Murray in grand slam tennis though and although he recovered a break deficit and saved set point, a poor start to the tiebreak saw Murray playing catch-up.
Basilashvili held his nerve and closed out the tiebreak 7-5 to force a deciding set.
In the final set Murray set a fast tempo winning the first eight points and being the aggressor taking 3-0 and 4-1 leads.
Once the Brit took his foot off the gas that allowed Basilashvili to get back into the match and continue to hit winners that would outpower Murray’s defence.
4-1 was 4-4 and Murray had to rely on his good returning skills when it really mattered to come through.
A 99th unforced error from the Georgian sealed Murray’s emotional delight in clinching another five set triumph at a grand slam.
After the match a delighted Murray reflected on his journey, “It’s been a tough three or four years but I’ve put in a lot of hard work to get here,” Murray said in his on-court interview.
“I’ve played on this court many times and the atmosphere is always incredible. It is where I thought I had potentially played my last match but to win a five-set battle like that, I couldn’t have asked any more.”
Murray will now return on Thursday to play Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel.
