ANDY MURRAY’S 4.05AM finish eventually caught up with him at the Australian Open as the Briton bowed out in typically defiant style to Roberto Bautista Agut in round three on Saturday.
35-year-old Murray was clearly feeling the effects of his epic five-setter in round two, which started on Thursday but ended in the early hours of Friday.
The 24th-seeded Spaniard Bautista won 6-1, 6-7 (7/9), 6-3, 6-4 and faces unseeded Tommy Paul of the United States in the last 16.
Former world number one Murray, who has a metal hip following career-saving surgery four years ago, was 3-0 down in a flash in the first set.
But the three-time Grand Slam champion had Margaret Court Arena firmly in his corner and a huge cheer went up when he finally got on the board, holding serve for 3-1.
It was to be only a temporary reprieve as the Spaniard raced away with the first set in a lopsided 29 minutes.
Murray held serve to start the second set but he appeared sluggish, having been forced to five sets in both his previous matches.
The epic five-setter in round two against Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis lasted a gruelling five hours and 45 minutes — the longest match of Murray’s storied career.
He committed a double fault to go 2-1 behind in the second set to Bautista, Murray letting out a howl of frustration.
Five-time Australian Open runner-up Murray has made a career of dramatic comebacks and he threatened one again as he broke back for 4-4, to the delight of the crowd.
Murray does not know when to quit.
His opponent then had two set points in the second-set tie break, only for Murray to roar back to win 9-7 and claim the set.
Bautista got the break to claim the third set, but Murray would not go away in the fourth, even as the match stretched past three hours on court.
Then came the killer blow as the 34-year-old Bautista broke Murray for a 5-4 lead, then sealed the deal on his first match point when the Briton fired a return into the net.
Meanwhile, an ailing Novak Djokovic ground past Grigor Dimitrov into the last 16 as the nine-time Australian Open champion edged closer to a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam title.
The Serbian fourth seed came through a titanic 77-minute first set before taming the Bulgarian 7-6 (9/7), 6-3, 6-4 on Rod Laver Arena, needing treatment twice on his troublesome hamstring.
He will face home hope Alex de Minaur for a place in the quarter-finals after the 22nd seed equalled his best result at the tournament by breezing past Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi 7-6 (7/0), 6-2, 6-1.
Djokovic’s win not only inched him nearer to equalling Rafael Nadal’s 22-Slam record but also to a 10th title, which would see him return to world number one for the first time since June.
Victory put him into the last 16 for a 15th time, equalling Nadal in second place on the Open-era list for appearances in the Australian Open fourth round behind Roger Federer’s 18.
“Every point, every game mattered,” he said. “I think the turning point for both players was right from the blocks, very first game making an early break for me was important.
“Obviously, I didn’t know how I’m going to feel physically, it was going up and down.
“It was an incredible battle, three sets over three hours. Let’s rest up and prepare for the next one.”
Djokovic aggravated his hamstring during his run to a 92nd title at the Adelaide International this month and has been struggling with it since.
He came into the match without his usual off-day practice session to give his leg as much time as possible to recover.
With his left thigh again heavily strapped, the Serb broke immediately and consolidated to take an early grip on the first set.
He was cruising but appeared to feel the injury when moving for a shot at 5-3. He managed to earn three set points, which were saved, but was then broken when serving for the set at 5-4.
Agitated, he complained to the umpire about being given a time violation and was then forced to save two set points before an epic tiebreak.
He eventually got over the line on his fifth set point, having saved another one from the Bulgarian 27th seed, after some intense tennis.
Djokovic took a medical timeout at the changeover and returned to dial up the pressure and take a break before comfortably seeing out the second set.
With Dimitrov flagging, he turned the screws further by breaking twice early in set three and, despite a mid-set wobble when the Bulgarian clawed back and then more treatment on his leg, he battled to the finish line.
De Minaur, who is gunning to make his first quarter-final at Melbourne Park, now awaits after having little trouble getting past Bonzi. The Australian said he was up for the challenge.
“These are the matches you want to be playing,” he said. “I’m gonna probably have the best in the world in front of me, and I’m ready for the battle.”
