Five-time Australian Open runner-up Andy Murray has won another match at the season-opening of the Grand Slam tournament after five years.
The former top-ranked Briton beat 21-seed Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4 and reached the second round at Melbourne Park on Tuesday.
In 2019, the 34-year-old lost a five-set match in the first round after he missed the 2018 edition due to an injury. He missed the tournament in 2020 due to a pelvic injury and last year’s edition due to COVID-19.
The victory marks Murray’s 49th win in the Australian Open’s singles matches. He is now ahead of Andre Agassi and Ivan Lendl. The International Tennis Federation says that Murray now has the most match wins at a Grand Slam tournament without winning the title.
Murray will now face Taro Daniel who is a qualifier from Japan.
Meanwhile, ninth-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime beat Emil Ruusuvuori 6-4, 0-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Maxime Cressy overcame 20 double-faults to oust 22nd-seeded John Isner 7-6 (7-2), 7-5, 6-7 (4-7), 6-7 (4-7), 6-4. Second seeded Daniil Medvedev entered Rod Laver Arena for a 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) win over Henri Laaksonen.
