Andy Murray's inspirational run at the Australian Open has come to end via a tense four-set defeat to 24th seed Roberto Bautista Agut in the third round.
Former world number one Murray was coming off his astonishing five-set win over Australia's Thanasi Kokkinakis, which did not finish until after 4am EDT on Friday.
But with less than 48 hours to recover, Murray could not help but battle fatigue, as Spain's Bautista Agut completed a 6-1, 6-7 (7/9), 6-3, 6-4 win on Saturday night.
At 35, Murray turned back the clock when he defeated 13th-seeded Italian Matteo Berrettini in a five-set thriller in the opening round.
He then fought back from two sets down to beat Kokkinakis in a match lasting five hours and 45 minutes.
The 35-year-old labelled the late-night schedule a "farce", as it left him limited time to recover for his third-round match.
Bautista Agut seemed to have ended Murray's career in the first round at the Australian Open four years ago when the three-time major winner battled serious injuries and declared he was unsure if he would be able to continue playing.
Murray looked hobbled from the start of Saturday night's match and dropped the first set in less than 30 minutes, winning just 11 of 39 points.
However, he bounced back to claim the second with some trademark fight, clawing back from 2-4 down to win it in a tie-break.
But there was no fairytale comeback for the five-time Australian Open finalist against Bautista Agut, won claimed the third and fourth set in three hours and 29 minutes.
Bautista Agut will face unseeded American Tommy Paul in the fourth round on Monday.
ABC/AAP
