Andy Murray might have performed his final Australian Open match after Roberto Bautista Agut despatched the five-time finalist hobbling his manner out of Melbourne Park.
The Scottish veteran wound again the clock in a pair of gorgeous five-set victories earlier within the week, together with a outstanding restoration from two units down towards native favorite Thanasi Kokkinakis.
But there was no fairytale comeback for Murray towards Bautista Agut, the twenty fourth seed, who closed out a 6-1 6-7 (7-9) 6-3 6-4 third-round victory in three hours and 29 minutes on Saturday night time.
“Always playing Andy at a slam, it’s always very tough,” Bautista Agut stated.
“He knows how to play a grand slam match so I’m very happy with how I handled the nerves and the tension.
“I’m ready to play a great match within the subsequent one.”
The Spaniard looked to have ended Murray’s career in the first round at the Australian Open four years ago when the three-time major winner battled serious injuries and declared he was unsure if he would be able to continue playing.
Murray looked hobbled from the start at Margaret Court Arena and dropped the first set in less than half-an-hour, winning just 11 of 39 points.
However, the Scot bounced back to claim the second with some trademark fight, clawing back from 2-4 down to win it in a tiebreak.
Murray’s second-round match against Kokkinakis lasted almost six hours and finished after 4am AEDT on Friday.
The 35-year-old labelled the late-night schedule a farce, and it left him less than 40 hours to recover for his third-round tie.
Bautista Agut will face unseeded American Tommy Paul within the fourth spherical on Monday.
