Australian Open 2023: Andy Murray loses to Roberto Bautista Agut, Dan Evans beaten by Andrey Rublev

Andy Murray was aiming to scope the 4th circular astatine a large for the archetypal clip since 2017

Andy Murray is retired of the Australian Open aft yet losing to Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut successful a valiant show wherever helium struggled to move.

The 35-year-old Scot, who had career-threatening hep country successful 2019, was the past Briton to autumn successful the singles.

Earlier connected Saturday, Dan Evans mislaid 6-4 6-2 6-3 to 5th effect Andrey Rublev.

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A measurement excessively acold adjacent for Murray

Ever since Murray bushed Australia's Thanasi Kokkinakis successful a five-set thriller that ended astatine a clip helium described arsenic a "farce", the question was: however would helium retrieve physically against 24th effect Bautista Agut?

Murray, ranked 66th successful the world, needed 5 hours and 45 minutes to bushed Kokkinakis successful the longest lucifer of his eventful career.

That was already an bonzer effort - peculiarly for an ageing subordinate with a lump of metallic successful his hep - aft needing astir 5 hours to bushed Italian 13th effect Matteo Berrettini successful the opening round.

The signs were not bully from the start.

Regularly wincing aft points, and walking gingerly betwixt them, the five-time finalist looked to beryllium successful symptom arsenic Bautista Agut wrapped up the opening acceptable successful conscionable 29 minutes.

When the Spaniard, a accordant counter-puncher, moved a interruption up successful the 2nd acceptable it looked similar it would beryllium a abbreviated night.

But Murray, arsenic helium has truthful often successful the past, refused to judge helium was beaten.

The British fig 4 started moving a small much freely, astatine slightest during the points, and fought backmost to instrumentality the acceptable into a tie-break.

There, helium again needed his warring spirit. Murray trailed 5-2 but, with the enactment of the assemblage down him, recovered and levelled the lucifer with his 2nd acceptable point.

A choky 3rd acceptable - wherever Murray continued to nutrient immoderate stunning shots but bent implicit successful symptom betwixt points - stayed connected service until helium yet buckled to assistance Bautista Agut interruption successful the eighth game.

Despite struggling to adjacent serve, Murray broke for a 2-0 pb successful the 4th acceptable but Bautista Agut remained diligent and broke for 5-4 earlier serving retired the match.

Bautista Agut, who was a quarter-finalist successful 2019, volition play American Tommy Paul successful the past 16.

Evans outpowered by Rublev aft sharing banana

Dan Evans was aiming to replicate his career-best tally to the 4th circular of the Australian Open successful 2017

Evans, seeded 25th, was outpowered by Rublev, who deed 60 winners to 22 unforced errors successful a beardown display.

The Russian volition look Danish teen and ninth effect Holger Rune arsenic helium bids to scope the Melbourne quarter-finals for the archetypal time.

"Andrey was excessively good. He played immoderate bully tennis," said the 32-year-old Englishman.

"I didn't consciousness I did excessively overmuch wrong. I had a small accidental successful the archetypal erstwhile I had interruption point, but I didn't instrumentality it.

"He was precise assertive and amended than me."

Evans had won 3 of his six erstwhile meetings with the 25-year-old Russian, but each of those were three-set matches.

The British fig two, who reached the 4th circular successful Melbourne successful 2017, started good against Rublev, creating a interruption accidental for a 4-3 pb successful the archetypal set.

However, Rublev saved it and broke to adjacent retired the set, earlier upping his aggression to triumph the adjacent 2 sets successful coagulated style.

"I'm not stupid, I cognize it's 3 retired of 5 and a precise antithetic lucifer to 2 retired of three," said Evans.

"That besides gave maine a batch of assurance that he'd person to triumph three. Obviously it didn't enactment retired that way."

Rublev thanked Evans aft the lucifer for giving him a banana during a changeover.

"I asked the shot boy, but Danny asked for bananas earlier and helium had 2 truthful helium conscionable said 'take it', and I caught it," Rublev said.

"He helped maine with immoderate energy, for sure. I had other due to the fact that I ate the banana."

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