Andy Murray wins another five-set epic, beating Thanasi Kokkinakis in wild 4 a.m. finish at the Australian Open
CNN
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Andy Murray produced yet another Herculean effort at the Australian Open, coming back from two sets and a break down against home favorite Thanasi Kokkinakis in a match that went on past 4 a.m. in Melbourne.
At five hours and 45 minutes, it was the longest match of Murray’s illustrious career, as the 35-year-old – playing with a metal hip following a joint resurfacing operation in 2019 – eventually prevailed 4-6 6-7 7-6 6-3 7-5 to reach the third round.
Kokkinakis will be left to rue what might have been after serving for the match at 5-4 in the third set, but the night will be all about Murray and his remarkable turnaround after four years of mostly pain and heartbreak following that surgery.
After a grueling five-setter against Matteo Berrettini in the opening round, most viewers wondered whether Murray would have anything left in the tank for round two. He did – and then some.
There were times during the match, in particular during that third set, when Murray looked down and out, trudging back to the baseline after every point with an exhausted expression on his face.
Not only did the Scot hang in there, he rolled back the years to produce some stunning tennis in what ended up being the second-longest match in Australian Open history.
One point in particular will certainly live long in the memory. With Kokkinakis two sets up and leading 2-0 in the third set, Murray improbably chased down five successive shots that all should have been winners, before eventually forcing his opponent into a mistake to break serve.
It ended up being perhaps the most crucial point of the match, one that will no doubt go down as an all-time classic in Australia, as Kokkinakis destroyed his racket in frustration following Murray’s defensive heroics.
More to follow…
