| Venue: Melbourne Park Dates: 16-29 January |
| Coverage: Commentary every day from 07:00 GMT on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra ‘Tennis Breakfast’ live from Melbourne, with selected live text commentaries and match reports on the BBC Sport website & app |
Andy Murray produced another scarcely believable display to fight back from two sets down to beat Thanasi Kokkinakis in an epic Australian Open match finishing at 04:05 local time.
In one of the latest finishes in tennis history, Murray won 4-6 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 7-5 on a night of gruelling physical and mental endurance.
The second-round match started at 22:20 and lasted five hours 45 minutes.
It was the longest contest in 35-year-old Murray’s eventful career.
The exhausted Briton remained calm after taking his first match point with a confident backhand down the line, sighing heavily before the two players enjoyed a warm embrace at the net.
With his proud mum Judy looking close to tears in the stands, Murray then let out a series of huge roars as he celebrated one of the best comebacks of his career.
A healthy and boisterous crowd stayed inside Margaret Court Arena until the end, showing their appreciation for the efforts of both men and providing much-needed vocal support.
The match is the second-latest finish in Australian Open history after a 2008 third-round match between Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis that ended at 04:34.
“The match was very up and down, there was frustration, tension, excitement, all that stuff,” Murray said.
“It’s amazing to win the match but I also want to go to bed now. I want to sleep.”
Murray is the third Briton to reach the third round at Melbourne Park this year, following Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans into the last 32.
Norrie, seeded 11th, is hoping to progress further on Friday when he plays Czech youngster Jiri Lehecka not before 04:30 GMT.
Murray produces a comeback extraordinary even by his standards
Murray has regularly defied the odds since coming back from the hip surgery in 2019 which he thought would end his career – including in his first-round victory over Italian 13th seed Matteo Berrettini on Tuesday.
Two days later, the Scot did it again with a comeback that ranks as simply extraordinary, even by his standards.
Amid the high of beating Berrettini, Murray cautiously spoke about the impact the five-set thriller would have on his body – a combination of his…
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