MELBOURNE, Jan 18: Five years and five long sets later, five-time Australian Open runner-up Andy Murray finally has won another match at the season-opening Grand Slam tournament.
The former No. 1-ranked Murray, playing thanks to a wild-card invitation as he continues his career comeback from hip operations and thoughts of retirement, beat 21st-seeded Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-4 on Tuesday to reach the second round at Melbourne Park.
He lost a five-setter in the first round in 2019 – a match he, and everyone else, thought might have been his last in Australia – after missing the 2018 edition with an injury. He missed the 2020 tournament with a pelvic injury and last year’s event because of COVID-19.
Murray beat Basilashvili in a three-hour three-setter last week in Sydney, where he reached the final of the tuneup tournament. This one went almost four hours.
When the 34-year-old Murray clinched it win on his third match point, he turned to the back of the court, closed his eyes and pumped his fists to celebrate.
It was Murray’s 49th win in an Australian Open singles match, moving him ahead of Andre Agassi and Ivan Lendl into fifth-place all-time. According to the International Tennis Federation, it’s the most match wins at a Grand Slam tournament without winning the title, surpassing Lendl’s 48 at Wimbledon.
He next plays Taro Daniel, a qualifier from Japan.
Ninth-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime fended off Emil Ruusuvuori 6-4, 0-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, and Maxime Cressy overcame 20 double-faults to upset fellow American John Isner 7-6 (2), 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-7 (4), 6-4.
Second-seeded Daniil Medvedev, one of the biggest potential beneficiaries of Djokovic’s deportation, had a much more routine first round. Medvedev went into Rod Laver Arena for a 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (3) win over Henri Laaksonen.
Medvedev joined No. 5 Andrey Rublev, No. 11 Jannik Sinner, No. 13 Diego Schwartzman and No. 15 Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round.
He next faces the mercurial Australian Nick Kyrgios.
The 19-year-old Canadian Leylah Fernandez lost 6-2, 6-4 to 133rd-ranked wild-card entry Maddison Inglis in her first Grand Slam match since her runner-up finish at the U.S. Open.
Second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka appeared to be on the way out before winning nine straight games to complete a 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 win over No. 128-ranked Storm Sanders.
Third-seeded Garbiñe Muguruza, kept a perfect streak intact when she won her first-round match at the Australian Open for the 10th straight time, beating No. 77-ranked Clara Burel 6-3, 6-4.
Also advancing were No. 6 Anett Kontaveit, 2020 French Open champion Iga Swiatek, 2021 French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, two-time major winner Simona Halep and 2011 U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur, who rallied to beat Robin Anderson 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3 to start her 20th – and last – Australian Open singles campaign.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova lost to Sorana Cirstea for the second straight year, 6-2, 6-2 in the first round. (AP)
