Andy Murray taken to fifth set by Matteo Berrettini at Australian Open
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Andy Murray is brought to the FIFTH SET by Matteo Berrettini as the resurgent 35-year-old Brit loses a two-set lead against the 13th seed at the Australian Open
- Andy Murray started well and built a two-set lead against Matteo Berrettini
- But the Italian then battled back to win third and started to stomp.
- Murray, 35, was enthused and went back years with display.
- The fourth set was a tense affair, but the Italian edged out 9-7 in a dramatic tiebreaker.
Andy Murray has brought Matteo Berrettini to a fifth set in a tense match at the Australian Open.
The 35-year-old turned back the years, racing from a two-set lead to take command of the match, winning both 6-3.
With sky-high temperatures creating a grueling battle, Berrettini struck back to win the third, then overcame a 9-7 tiebreaker in the fourth.
Andy Murray looks back at somewhere near his prime by beating Matteo Berrettini
The British star turned back the years to edge out the 13th seed at the Australian Open.
Berrettini was seen as a potential tournament winner, but was upset in the first round.
It looked like Murray was on his way to victory and came within two points on multiple occasions in the fourth set tiebreaker.
But it was the Italian who appeared in front of a captivated crowd in Melbourne.
Murray gave Berrettini little to work with in the fourth and his body language was positive throughout, but the youngster showed class to force a decider.
There were plenty of punches from Murray and his body language was positive throughout.
Murray put on a fantastic touch and sent a warning shot to the rest of the field.
Murray came into the match feeling very confident despite knowing that his path in the tournament would be littered with big names as he is unseeded.
Berrettini was a tough draw early on, but Murray showed why he has won 49 Australian Open matches before in an excellent pair of first sets.
He was never going to have everything his way and the 26-year-old from Rome managed to force the deciding fifth.
Berrettini faced a tough opponent desperate to cross the line in Melbourne