Murray Loses Australian Open Epic
Andy Murray is out of the Australian Open after losing an epic semi-final to Novak Djokovic.
The world number one beat Murray 6-3 3-6 6-7 6-1 7-5 in a match that lasted nearly five hours.
The British player hit top form shortly after losing the opening set, winning four games in a row to help tie the match.
The pair traded blows with some long-lasting rallies in the following set and both lost crucial service games to take it to a tie-break.
After 88 minutes, it was Murray that got the upper hand, attacking Djokovic’s second serve to take it 7-4.
But that’s as good as it got for the Brit, who was blown away in Set 4.
Djokovic showed he wasn’t willing to give up his title easily, taking just 25 minutes to take the match to a deciding set.
Djokovic got the better of Murray in the early exchanges, breaking twice to go 5-2 up.
Murray broke back and got within one game but couldn’t complete the comeback and lost the final set 7-5.
“It was one of the best matches I’ve ever played,” Djokovic told the on-court reporter moments after his victory.
“Andy deserves credit for coming back into it. He was fighting and I was fighting.”
Djokovic will play Rafael Nadal in Sunday’s final.
