Melbourne Jan. 18 (BUS): After five years and five long sets, five-time Australian Open runner-up Andy Murray finally won another match in the season’s inaugural Grand Slam tournament.
Former No. 1 Murray plays thanks to a wild card call as he continues his run back from hip operations and retirement thoughts, the 21st seed beat Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-4 day Tuesday to reach the second round at Melbourne Park.
He lost a set of five sets in the first round in 2019 – a match he and others thought might be his last in Australia – after missing the 2018 edition through injury. He missed the 2020 championship with a pelvic injury and happened last year due to COVID-19.
Murray beat Basilashvili in a three-hour, three-set match last week in Sydney, reaching the final of the tournament. This took nearly four hours.
When the 34-year-old Murray snatched the win on his third match point, he turned to the back of the field, closed his eyes, and pumped his fists to celebrate.
It was the 49th victory for Murray in a singles match at the Australian Open, which put him ahead of Andre Agassi and Evan Lendl to fifth all-time.
According to the International Tennis Federation, this is the most number of wins in a Grand Slam tournament without winning the title, surpassing Lendl’s record 48 at Wimbledon.
Regardless, winning the 50th match in Australia is the immediate priority. He next plays the role of Taro Daniel, the finalist from Japan.
Murray’s wasn’t the only five-set drama that ended early in the evening of the second day.
Ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime saved Emile Rossofory 6-4, 0-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, and Maxime Cressi overcame 20 double faults to overturn fellow American seed No. 22. Isner 7-6 ( 2), 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-7 (4), 6-4.
Second seed Daniil Medvedev, one of the biggest potential beneficiaries of Djokovic’s transfer, ran into a more routine first round.
Already nine-times champion Djokovic returned to Serbia – two days after losing the legal challenge to remain in Australia despite not being vaccinated against COVID-19 – when Medvedev went to Rod Laver Arena 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (3) win over Henri Laaksonen.
Aiming to be the first man of the open era to win his second major title in the next Grand Slam appearance after his first such title, Medvedev advanced alongside fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, fifth seed Andrei Rublev, and 11th seed Yannik Sener. Number 13 Diego Schwartzman and Number 15 Roberto Bautista Agut.
This is where things can get more complicated: He next faces off against mercurial Australian Nick Kyrgios.
No one has dominated Melbourne like Djokovic, who is unbeaten in the combined 18 semi-finals and final he reached at the Australian Open, including last year’s victory over Medvedev for the title.
But Medvedev retaliated by winning his grand slam title at the US Open, whose victory meant that Djokovic’s bid to win the four grand slams in the calendar year ended a short win.
The 19-year-old Canadian lost 6-2 6-4 to wild card entry, seeded 133 Madison Ingles, in her first Grand Slam match since finishing second at the US Open.
The setting and the atmosphere were apart of her run to the final against Emma Radocano at Flushing Meadows last September.
Radocano performed better in her Australian Open debut. The 17th-seeded Briton beat 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens 6-0, 2-6, 6-1 in a night swing match that ended the second day’s program.
Second seed Aryna Sabalenka looked on her way out before running from a set and collapsing, winning nine straight matches before completing a 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 victory over 128th seed Storm Sanders.
Meanwhile, third seed Garbine Muguruza maintained her perfect streak as she won her first-round match at the Australian Open for the 10th consecutive time, defeating 77th seed Clara Borrell 6-3 6-4.
Also moving up to sixth were 2020 French Open champion Anett Kontaveit, 2021 French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, two-time winner Simona Halep, and 2011 US Open champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Open champion Sam Stosur, who recovered to beat Robin Anderson 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3 to begin her 20th and final Australian Open campaign.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova lost to Sorana Kirstia for the second year in a row, this time 6-2, 6-2 in the first round.
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