'Struggle' in Aust Open 3rd round: Murray

Andy Murray has beaten 32nd seed Joao Sousa of Portugal and will face Bernard Tomic or John Millman in the fourth round of the Australian Open.

Andy Murray of the United Kingdom

Andy Murray has dropped his first set at the Australian Open before downing Portugal's Joao Sousa. (AAP)

Andy Murray admits he struggled in a third-round win over Joao Sousa, having dropped his first set of the Australian Open.

Murray was twice broken in the second set on Saturday night but recovered to defeat Portugal's Sousa, the 32nd seed, 6-2 3-6 6-2 6-2 on Margaret Court Arena.

The second seed faces the winner of the all-Australian clash between Bernard Tomic and John Millman.

Instead of discussing the prospect of facing a local in the fourth round, Murray cancelled his post-match media conference following the collapse of father-in-law Nigel Sears.

It's unclear when Murray learned about Sears' hospitalisation.

The Scot released a statement following his victory, completed in a tick over two-and-a-half hours.

"I struggled. At the beginning, I think he was extremely aggressive, very intense," Murray said.

"He was getting into position to dictate a lot of points with his forehand.

"It was tricky. I didn't feel great ... didn't feel I was in a great rhythm; wasn't hitting the ball clean at the start.

"I just tried to keep fighting. At the end, I was actually hitting the ball well and felt better at the end. It was good to get through that one."


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world