Key events
Hijikata and Struff is stuck on deuce at 5-4 in the fourth set for what seems like eons. The home hero Rinky is taking the applause.
Garcia faults at 30-15, and is her serve wobbling at last? “Vamos,” says Garcia, as Osaka fails to read a lob on 40-15. Then another double gets the crowd going. Then comes an almighty ace, and into the tie-breaker.
Osaka’s serve is now 6-5 up after some equally good serving. Garcia serves to stay in the set, and to force a tie-breaker. All three matches left out there are finely balanced but teetering, too.
Struff and Hijikata sees Struff serving to stay in the fourth set. It’s raucous out on Court Three.
Garcia’s serve – and her drop shot – reign supreme. From 0-15 down, she serves to make it 5-5. Here’s where the nerves come into play.
Tumaini Carayol is our man in Melbourne and he hears Andy Murray all but deliver the last rites on his love affair with the Australian Open: five-time finalist, five-time loser. That probably still smarts.
I won’t win many matches playing that way. Practice is not the same thing. I’m totally aware of that. I also know what good tennis is. I’ve played well before. I know in the last week, 10 days, how well I was playing against the best players in the world.
Garcia holds now, and with some ease. Her serve remains the stronger. All the pressure goes back on Osaka.
Osaka holds, and her serve is coming to the fore, with nine aces. It’s 4-3 in the second set. All to play for.
Garcia and Osaka are at 2-2 in the second set but Garcia’s serve remains the stronger.
Left out there, just three matches now. Australa’s Rinky Hijikata v Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany, who is two sets to one up, going with serve in the fourth.
Big serving from Auger-Aliassime takes him to 40-15 and set point. Thiem on the ropes but he produces a backhand winner to stay in the set. Just. But he can’t hold off FAA. It’s 7-5 and two sets up to the Canadian.
Auger-Aliassime v Thiem has been the predicted war: they’re still in the second set, but now FAA will serve for the second set at 6-5. Looks like they will be the last players out there.
Garcia took the first set 6-4, and then Osaka claims the first game. Long way back for the American Japanese player and relatively new mum.
Big hold for Osaka, who faced down two Garcia break points and it’s 4-3 in the first set to the French player.
Osaka’s serve is not holding up so well and Garcia goes a break up, 3-2 in the first set.
Garcia and Osaka begins as an even contest, with Garcia’s big serve levelling the first set at 2-2.
Felix Auger-Aliassime, who won the first set 6-3, is seeking a break from Dominic Thiem, who gets lucky with a net-cord shot, for which he is halfway apologetic. But then misses a winner. And FAA gets it, and leads 2-1 in the second set, and he’s next to serve. He’s in control – for now.
Some local colour from Jack Snape here.
By the early afternoon the Australians in the Melbourne Park crowds had already been rewarded. Rockhampton-born, Perth-bred, Melbourne-based Storm Hunter started the day by winning her first main draw singles match at the tournament, defeating Italian Sara Errani in straight sets. The doubles world No 1 was taken aback by the level of support. There, just for her.
Now, Naomi Osaka heads into the unknown, as she takes on Caroline Garcia, the 16th seed. They are out on Rod Laver.
Raonic retires hurt against De Minaur
He was limping and could no longer carry on. He offers his hand in acknowledgement he can no longer play on. That’s said. This one was shaping up well. De Minaur seems a bit taken aback. The word is that it’s a recurrence of a hip injury.
De Minaur speaks. “First of all, I hope he has a speedy recovery. Not great to see him like this. He deserves to be healthy and playing incredible tennis like he has done for so many years. Hopefully he is back in no time.”
De Minaur gets an early break and it’s 2-0 in the third set. Thiem and Auger-Aliassme are slugging it out but the latter, after 53 minutes, collects the break and is 5-3 up in the first set.
De Minaur had three set points on Raonic but suddenly at 5-3, the Canadian has his route back into the set with a break point. But De Minaur holds and after one hour and 40 minutes it’s 1-1 on sets and the home flags are flying.
Murray: ‘A tough, tough way to finish.’
More Murray quotes, per PA Media: “It’s a definite possibility that will be the last time I play here. I think probably because of how the match went and everything.
“While you’re playing the match, you’re obviously trying to control your emotions, focus on the points and everything. When you’re one point away from the end, you’re like, ‘I can’t believe this is over so quickly, and like this’.
“In comparison to the matches that I played here last year, it’s the complete opposite feeling walking off the court. I wish I involved the crowd more. Just disappointed with the way I played and all of that stuff. (It’s a) tough, tough way to finish.”
Some Andrew Murray quotes, and it seems like it could be the end. “I have an idea of when I would probably like to finish playing. Yeah, so much of that depends on how you’re playing. The time frame for that narrows when you play and have results like today.”
Now, another Canadian is on court, and it’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, who will take on Dominic Thiem. This too, has the look of a five-setter. De Minaur, meanwhile, having lost the first set, is 4-2 up on Raonic in the second set.
Other news: Ugo Humbert, the 21st seed, progresses in four sets over David Goffin 6-2 7-5 5-7 6-3 to win. He celebrated with a very manly roar.
“I decided to rest a bit and concentrate on this tournament,” says Jabeur. “Last year wasn’t so good here so I was a little bit stressed. I’m a very bad tourist, basically my life is hotel here, I’m enjoying the restaurant as I love food.”
Jabeur beats Starodubtsewa 6-3 6-1
Ons Jabeur meanwhile, is having no such problems in the second set. Yulia Starodubtsewa has no answer and the second set is a breeze.
The tie-breaker is tense, too. A packed crowd roaring on their local boy – even if De Minaur is from Sydney – there’s some fist-pumping when De Minaur scrabbles to 3-3 and then 4-3. Raonic’s first serve remains too hot to handle, but he makes a mess of a clear winner when his opponent is all at sea. He crashes into the net for 4-5. But a double fault from De Minaur…oh. Then Raonic nets, and it’s set point on his serve. That’s saved by a beauty, on the very corners of the line for 6-6. And now he has a set point at 7-6 up. And then De Minaur’s second serve is out, too. Or was it his second shot? Either way, that’s the Canadian one set up.
Yep, De Minar v Raonic is going the distance in the first set. It’s 5-5. And a tie-break it is.
Ons Jabeur, the Tunisian two-time grand slam finalist, was having a few problems with Yulia Starodubtsewa, a 17-year-old from Ukraine but has just taken the first set 6-4 in the Margaret Court Arena.
Alex De Minaur versus Milos Raonic – Australia v Canada – is on at the Rod Laver Arena and it looks likely to go long. Raonic is a huge server, and that asks an awful lot of the local lad. It goes with serve in the first set: 3-4.
Elsewhere at Melbourne Park:
Here’s the sad story of the day, with more details to follow.
As for Murray, let’s see what else we hear from him today. He’ll be doing a press conference, and we’ll bring you the key quotes. And as for plucky Brits, it’s two defeats from two, with Jodie Burrage losing yesterday. That was only his second opening-round defeat at the Australian Open in 16 years. The five-time finalist, his only other defeat in the first round since 2008 came five years ago in an emotional five-setter against Roberto Bautista Agut after Murray had revealed the extent of his hip problems. That was the night it was widely reported his career was over. It wasn’t. But he’s never been the same player since.
Etcheverry says the first set, all 61 minutes of it was the key. “I saw the clock, a long battle, I know it’s bad for me, and I tried to focus on my game. I want to keep going and improve my game.” He is polite enough to call Murray “a legend”.
Etcheverry beats Murray 6-4 6-2 6-2
The Argentinian was just too good for Murray, whose fitness was not there. It’s five years since it was declared that Murray was finished and would retire. Those questions will be ringing out now.
Preamble
Good morning, g’day etc. It’s the second day in Melbourne Park and we begin our blog with the bad news. Andy Murray is heading out in straight sets to Tomás Martín Etcheverry. The first set was a war, in the usual fashion, but the Argentine has had all his own way since then.
