Murray and Bautista Agut will take on each other in the third round of the 2023 Australian Open on January 21.
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In the second round of the Australian Open, 35-year-old Andy Murray, who has a metal hip, set a personal record by playing the longest match of his career. When he fell behind 4-6 6-7 2-5 against the 26-year-old Thanasi Kokkinakis, the clock had already passed midnight. However, the fighter in him did not give up and mounted a comeback that lasted five hours and 50 minutes and ended around 4:00 AM local time. The British player’s performance was made even more impressive by the fact that, prior to playing Thanasi Kokkinakis, he had already endured a taxing five-set match against a tough foe in the first round. Against Matteo Berrettini, he had previously lost a two-set advantage and even had to save a match point.
Roberto Bautista Agut also rallied from a two-set deficit in the second round, but his opponent was less difficult (Brandon Holt), and he played for a lot less time than Andy Murray did (2 hours and 59 minutes). In addition, he only dropped seven games to Joao Sousa in the opening round. Due to a number of poor showings on the main tour over the past 15 months, the seasoned Spaniard has not been as reliable and consistent as in previous years. In addition, he has won five of his eight fights so far this year, including ones against top opponents like Robin Haase and Soon Woo Kwon.
| Murray vs Bautista Agut | Match details |
|---|---|
| Date | January 21, 2023 |
| Surface | Hard courts |
| Tournament | Australian Open |
| Stage | Third Round |
| Time (India) | 1:30 pm (tentative) |
| Time (Australia) | 7 pm (tentative) |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Thanasi Kokkinakis | 4-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 7-5 (W) |
| Matteo Berrettini | 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6, 6-7 (W) |
| Sebastian Korda | 7-6, 6-3 (L) |
| Giles Simon | 6-4, 5-7, 3-6 (L) |
| Roberto Bautista Agut | 6-3, 6-2 (L) |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Brandon Holt | 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 2-6, 2-6 (W) |
| Joao Sousa | 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 (W) |
| Soon Woo Kwon | 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (L) |
| Thanasi Kokkinakis | 7-6, 3-6, 6-3 (W) |
| Alejandro Davidovich Fokina | 6-3, 6-2 (W) |
3-3 tie. For a player who has spent more than ten hours on the court playing ten sets of tennis in previous rounds, Roberto Bautista Agut would seem to be one of the easier opponents to face. However, the Spaniard is not currently playing at his usual, ruthless best level, which could be seen as a slight advantage for Andy Murray going into this match.
Murray and Bautista Agut will take on each other in the third round of the 2023 Australian Open on January 21.
Australia – Nine and Stan Sport
Canada – TSN and RDS
India – Sony Sports Network
UK – Eurosport
USA – ESPN Network
The matches of both men’s and women’s can be live-streamed on demand on the Tennis TV app and website.
