Just like when we were young! Murray manages second longest ever match at Australian Open, Ruud and Zverev finish in second round

The fourth, record-breaking, day of the Australian Open is history. It brought many surprises as the top six seeds in the men’s section, led by Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev, were eliminated. But the final match stood out above all the other matches, a duel between Thanasi Kokkinakis and five-time finalist Andy Murray. After less than six hours, the British tennis player advanced to the next round and will face Spain’s Roberto Bautista-Agut.

In Melbourne, the clock reads 4am, and on Margaret Court, the home favourite and the former world number one are locked in an incredible battle. The match between Thanasi Kokkinakis (159th) and Andy Murray (66th) will be remembered by several hundred tireless fans for a long time to come. But things could have been very different.

Kokkinakis got through the first stage of the tournament without much trouble, not conceding a single set to Italy’s Fognini (57th). Even his Thursday opponent Andy Murray was not far away from a 3:0 victory. In his opening match against the seeded Berretti (14th), he fought for almost five hours, fought off a match point and finally succeeded in the decisive tiebreak of the fifth set.

Even before the match, the Australian was in a slightly better starting position, which was quickly confirmed. Thanks to the help of five aces, he managed to take the first set 6-4. In the second set, there was a long wait for break chances, eventually Kokkinakis got to them earlier and served for a 2:0 lead. Although he did not take advantage of three set points, he eventually won the set in the tiebreak, 7-6.

The clouds were gathering over Murray as he lost another game on serve. The third round seemed to be decided. However, in the very next game, Murray’s break point was very likely the turning point of the match. The British tennis player woke up his young self and, to the applause of the packed stands, he used breathtaking defensive play to get the break he wanted. The exchange itself soon sent the tennis world reeling.

In the end, the entire third set had to be decided by a tiebreak, in which this time the former number one managed to succeed. Even after more than three and a half hours, the match did not lose its attractiveness. Although the majority of the population in Melbourne was long asleep, the Margaret Court was far from sleepy.

After another hour-long set, Murray levelled the match at 2:2 and it was on to the final set. Each point was experienced to the maximum by both sides and there was not much strength left.

The thirty-five-year-old Briton capitalised on his wealth of experience in tense moments and finally walked off the court victorious after five hours and forty-five minutes and can now prepare for his third round clash with Roberto Bautista-Agut.

With a total score of 4-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 and 7-5, fans witnessed the second longest match in Australian Open history, a small consolation prize for the home tennis player’s elimination.

The fourth day of the tournament also brought a number of surprises. Out of the picture after Thursday are Casper Ruud (3rd), Alexander Zverev (13th) and Taylor Fritz (9th). The Norwegian number two was unable to beat the American Brooksby (39th) in four sets and still has to wait for a more significant success from the first Grand Slam of the season.

Alexander Zverev also lost to another American, Michael Mmoh (107th), by the same ratio and his comeback from a nasty injury at the French Open is not going to be to his liking.

After these results, it is so certain that new faces will make it to the quarter-final stage. For example, there is a possibility for the local Alexei Popyrin (113th). He managed to smash Taylor Fritz in five sets today and will face 20-year-old left-hander Ben Shelton (89th).

On the other hand, Novak Djokovic, the main favourite to win his tenth title from Australia, is sailing through the pavilion without any major problems. Although he lost the first set of the tournament, he gave Frenchman Enzo Couacaud (191st) a farewell “canary”.

The third round will bring a number of attractive duels. The matches Khachanov – Tiafoe, Dimitrov – Djokovic or the duel between Jiri Lehecka and Cameron Norrie, which is especially important for Czech fans, are worth mentioning.

Source: Australian Open, Livesport, Twitter