Novak Djokovic, hampered by a hamstring problem that threatens his quest for a 10th crown here and his 22nd grand slam title, soldiered on into round four after a scintillating 7-6 (9- 7), 6-3, 6-4 victory over Grigor Dimitrov.
Djokovic had his left thigh looked at by the trainer after a tight opening set and, though he came through the next comfortably, the groans grew louder with every point in the third. Djokovic is now the only remaining grand slam champion in a depleted men’s draw.
Australian Alex De Minaur stepped out of Nick Kyrgios’s shadow and ensured home fans will have someone to cheer in the second week as he steamrollered Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi 7-6 (7-0), 6-2, 6-1 on the centre court.
Fifth seed Andrey Rublev swept past 25th seed Dan Evans 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 with 60 winners on a glorious afternoon.
Men’s ninth seed Holger Rune had a nasty fall against Ugo Humbert at John Cain Arena but after a lengthy medical time-out, the 19-yearold completed an impressive 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) win over the Frenchman.
Murray marathon ends
Andy Murray’s brave Australian Open run ground to a halt against Roberto Bautista Agut, the Spaniard fending off the fatigued former world No.1 6-1, 6-7 (7-9), 6-3, 6-4 in the third round to advance on Saturday.
After back-to-back five-set wins over Matteo Berrettini and Thanasi Kokkinakis, a ragged Murray hung tough against the 24th seed but was gradually worn down over the course of the three-and-a-half hour slog at a floodlit Margaret Court Arena.
Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna during their mixed doubles match on Saturday. Twitter
Murray’s previous match against Kokkinakis left him with little sleep, a bad back and a slew of blisters that needed draining from his feet.
Double delight
Czech fans at Melbourne Park savoured double delight as 17-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova burst into the spotlight by joining former world No.1 Karolina Pliskova in the fourth round, while fifth seed Aryna Sabalenka continued her progress.
Sabalenka gave no quarter to former doubles partner Elise Mertens on Margaret Court Arena, beating the Belgian 26th seed 6-2, 6-3.
Pliskova, known for being a former world No.1 without a grand slam title, beat Russian Varvara Gracheva 6-4, 6-2. Fruhvirtova, the youngest woman left in the singles, beat compatriot Marketa Vondrousova 7-5, 2-6, 6-3.
Indians advance
The Indian men’s doubles pair of N Sriram Balaji and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan stunned fifth seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek in the opening round.
Balaji and Nedunchezhiyan, who came into the tournament as an alternate team, took two hours 20 minutes to win 7-6 (8-6), 2-6, 6-4.
In mixed doubles, Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna advanced to the second round, defeating home pair Jaimee Fourlis and Luke Saville 7-5, 6-3 in their opening round.
In boy’s singles, Manas Dhamne won his first round match against Australian Jeremy Zhang 6-3, 6-3.
