Australian Open: Andy Murray shocked by Mischa Zverev, Stanislas Wawrinka beats Andreas Seppi
Updated
The Australian Open has witnessed another sensational shock result with world number one Andy Murray dumped out of the year's first major in the fourth round by Germany's Mischa Zverev.
Zverev played the match of his life to secure a 7-5. 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 win over the Briton to advance to the quarter-finals in a 214-minute tussle.
It means the world's top two male players are both out of contention as the men's draw opens up dramatically, following Novak Djokovic's second-round loss to Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin.
The Zverev name is becoming a lot more recognisable to Australian audiences this year after Mischa's brother Alexander gave Rafael Nadal an almighty scare in the third round.
"I don't know yet how I feel because everything is new to me and everything feels a little bit unreal," Zverev said.
"Honestly, there were a few points where I don't know how I pulled them off."
A quarter-final fixture awaits Mischa Zverev, who will face the winner of the match between Roger Federer and Kei Nishikori.
For Murray, it was a case of missed opportunities in a gruelling three-and-a-half-hour encounter.
"It just wasn't meant to be. He served very well when he needed to, especially when he was behind in games," Murray said at his press conference.
"He deserved to win because ... he played great when he was down, and also in the important moments.
"I was kind of behind in the last couple of sets the whole way. But the first two sets, I had chances.
"I was up a break I think in both of them pretty early. Couldn't convert my opportunities."
The afternoon's other clash was a completely different affair for match favourite Stanislas Wawrinka, who progressed to the last eight with a straight-sets win over Andreas Seppi.
The former Australian Open winner beat the Italian in a tale of the tie-break, winning 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/4).
Wawrinka will face French crowd favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga after he fought out a four-set victory over British contender Dan Evans.
Tsonga, the 2008 finalist in Melbourne, beat Evans 6-7 (7/4), 6-2, 6-4, 6-4.
"It was a really tough match," Wawrinka said.
"I was a little bit down and I'm really happy with the way I finished the match. It's a great feeling to be back in the quarter-finals here."
Wawrinka was taken aback when news of Murray's loss filtered through, but insisted he was focused solely on his quarter-final date.
"It's a big surprise for sure. He's been playing so well," he said.
"But I'm only in the quarter-finals.
"I'm really far from thinking about winning a grand slam. The good thing is I have three already."
Topics: australian-open, tennis, sport, melbourne-3000, vic, australia
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