Andy Murray out of Australian Open: Briton talks retirement after defeat by Roberto Bautista Agut
Reaction from the first-round match at the Australian Open in Melbourne
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Your support makes all the difference.Andy Murray’s Australian Open is over after losing a thriller to Roberto Bautista Agut in what could be the final match of his career.
Murray is contemplating retirement due to the persistent hip injury that has blighted him for more than two years, with the three-time Grand Slam champion admitting last week that he will retire in 2019, hopefully after one last outing at Wimbledon in the summer.
But such is the pain that he is fighting, Murray could now choose to call it quits now that his Australian Open campaign has come to an end.
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What time does it start?
Murray vs Bautista Agut is due to begin not before 7am, and more likely to be around an 8am start once Kyle Edmund’s match against Tomas Berdych has completed.
Where can I watch it?
The match will be shown live on Eurosport.
Odds
Andy Murray to win: 4/1
Roberto Bautista Agut to win: 1/5
Murray 4-6, 4-6 Bautista Agut*As Murray leaves his chair, he's roared on by the crowd who sense the importance of this game. But Bautista Agut quickly drains them of any optimism with another beautiful forehand that beats Murray with ease. Again, a long rally gets the better of Murray as he loops a forehand effort deep and long of the baseline, but a strong forehand effort forces an error from Bautista Agut as he returns into the net.
Bautista Agut repeats the error and suddenly it's 30-30, and Murray has the slightest whiff of a break here. But it disappears quickly as a sliced backhand clips the net, and that brings up set point for Bautista Agut. Emphatically, he launches a powerful ace wide and wraps it up at the first attempt.
Bautista Agut leads two sets to love!
*Murray 4-6, 4-6, 1-0 Bautista Agutif this is to be the final set of Andy Murray's career, he's going down with a fight. Two errors allow the Spaniard move out to a -30 lead but Murray battles back supremely and uses his serve to get back to 40-30 up. Bautista Agut goes for it, and his effort is wide that gives Murray the set.
Down but not out...yet
Murry winces in anguish after losing the second set
Murray 4-6, 4-6, 1-1 Bautista Agut*Bautista Agut, as he has done every time Murray builds a bit of momentum, quickly squashes it with an impressive hold of serve, though Murray challenges on the final point only for more Hawkeye gremlins - it's soon confirmed out.
*Murray 4-6, 4-6, 1-2 Bautista AgutOur first long rally for quite a while ends when Bautista Agut reads Murray's cross-court drop-shot and he flicks the ball back past the three-time Slam champion. Murray comes in again on the next serve, and Bautista Agut batters it back with interest to go 0-30 up. He then produces a beautiful overhead body that he flicks over the net while facing the wrong way, bringing up three break points. However, Murray delays the inevitable with a beautiful shot down the line that has him celebrating, but he fires the next one into the net and Bautista Agut breaks for the third consecutive set.
Murray 4-6, 4-6, 2-2 Bautista Agut*Murray looks to be fading here, as his return clips the top of the net and goes wide as a result. Murray hits a return that beats Bautista Agut to claw the score back to 30-15, and then another error levels it at 30-30. Bautista Agut then hits wide and Murray has a break point! Surely not...
HE DOES IT! Murray breaks back!
*Murray 4-6, 4-6, 3-2 Bautista AgutFrom nowhere, Murray's in his stride. Winner after winner after winner and Murray is rolling, and an ace seals the game to love. Surely not, surely he can't get back into the match this late on.
Murray 4-6, 4-6, 3-3 Bautista Agut*If the comeback is to happen, it needs to happen on Bautista Agut's serve. It took a monumental effort to break him last time out, but he looks to be back in his stride as an ace and unreturned serve put him ahead comfortably. A forehand winner is followed by a second ace and it's a hold-to-love.
*Murray 4-6, 4-6, 4-3 Bautista AgutMurray lose the first point with an uncharacteristic shot that is a long way wide of the court. A Bautista Agut error claws it back, and two good serves tees up Murray to go 40-15 ahead. He produces an ace and a fist pump to boot as he holds serve.
In the meantime, re-live the spine-tingling moment when he broke back to level the set.
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