(Andy Murray – Thanasi Kokkinakis 4-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 7-5) Andy Murray (35) struggled and lost the first two sets to Netflix current Thanasi Kokkinakis (26). Then he won the match’s second tiebreaker – and emerged victorious from the nearly six-hour drama.
The match kicked off at 12.30 NST, and it was a long night for the Scots and Australians at home. After a full five hours and 45 minutes, Murray hit match point in the fifth set.
The 35-year-old thus qualified for the third round of the Australian Open. It is Murray’s longest match so far in his tennis career.
– I don’t know how you got it. It’s unbelievable, says the Scotsman to the organizer.
In Melbourne the score was 04.06 at the end of the match.
– Thank you so much to everyone who stayed up crazy late. She didn’t need it. Now I think everyone, myself included, should go to sleep, the Scotsman smiles.
Kokkinakis had the best start in the first two sets, and showed his mettle when he won the tiebreaker in the second set. The Australian could decide in the second match tie-break in the third set, but Murray pulled himself up and pared down after excellent tennis.
Murray then gained the upper hand and momentum – and turned to victory just hours later.
Murray will meet Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut in the third round. The Scot has reached the final of the Australian Open five times previously, but has never won.
The 2012 Australian Open final between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal is the longest Grand Slam match ever. The final match lasted five hours and 53 minutes.
Kokkinakis is a tennis profiler that appears in the new Netflix series “Break Point”. Among others, Kokkinakis and partner Nick Kyrgios’ doubles wins at the Australian Open have been documented.
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