Andy Murray came back from two sets down to beat Thanasi Kokkinakis in an extraordinary match that finished past 4am at the Australian Open.
The 35-year-old prevailed 4-6 (4)6-7 7-6(5) 6-3 7-5 in the longest match of both players careers. Murray booked his third round spot after a five hour and 45 minute tussle.
Even considering his résumé, this will go down as one of his greatest and most improbable wins.
The former finalist has won both of his matches this tournament in five sets and has already accumulated ten hours on the match court. He now has the most comeback wins from two sets down of any male player with eleven.
Murray said ‘the match was obviously very up and down. There was frustration in there, tension. There was excitement, all of that stuff. Then at the end, yeah, it’s obviously amazing to win the match, but I also want to go to bed.’
Kokkinakis got off to a strong start after saving three break points early on in the opening set. Firing forehand winners throughout, he broke Murray’s serve to lead 3-2 and took the set 6-4.
The Australian served for the second set at 5-4 up but squandered three opportunities before being broken back. He fought his way through the tie-break to earn a seemingly unassailable lead.
Murray broke back immediately after going down 2-0 in the third set, keeping his slim chances alive. He displayed one of the greatest pieces of defence ever seen in tennis after retrieving multiple smashes before Kokkinakis netted with a forehand, gifting the break back, before Kokkinakis opened up a 5-2 lead.
After being two points from victory, Murray dug deep and broke back to level the set at 5-5 . He won the set on a tiebreak courtesy of a missed smash from the Aussie who started to lose control of his groundstrokes.
Murray’s level kept improving into the fourth set, with his aggressive shotmaking paying dividends. He somehow managed to force a decider after winning the set 6-3.
Despite signs of fatigue from both players, the pair produced a stunning level of tennis in the decider. Kokkinakis saved four break points to hold serve for 4-3 which featured two stunning forehand winners.
Murray eventually broke Kokkinakis’ resistance with a sensational forehand cross court winner on his eighth break point of the set to go up 6-5. He wrapped up a memorable victory with a backhand winner, before letting out a huge roar in celebration. He is in the last 32 in Melbourne for the first time since 2017.
Murray Furious With Late Finish
The match is the second latest finish in Australian Open history after a 2008 third-round match between Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis that ended at 04:34. Murray expressed his discontempt at the scheduling and addressed his concerns over late-night finishes.
‘If my child was a ball kid for a tournament, they’re coming home at 5 in the morning, as a parent, I’m snapping at that,’ he said. ‘It’s not beneficial for them. It’s not beneficial for the umpires, the officials. I don’t think it’s amazing for the fans. It’s not good for the players.’
The Briton will face Roberto Bautista Agut in the third round on Saturday. The pair contested a memorable five set match in Melbourne four years ago which was expected to be the last of his career following his agonising battle against a hip injury.
Victory for Murray on Saturday would ensure a first fourth-round appearance at a Major since 2017.
