MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Top-seeded Andy Murray is out of the Australian Open, the five-time finalist losing in four sets in a Sunday afternoon upset to Mischa Zverev.
The No. 50-ranked Zverev attacked Murray and unsettled the five-time finalist. The lefthander won 65 of 118 points at the net in a 7-5, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 upset on Rod Laver Arena.
Murray joins six-time defending champion Novak Djokovic, beaten in the second round by wild-card entry Denis Istomin, on the sidelines for the second week at Melbourne Park.
It’s the first time since 2002 that neither the No. 1 nor the No. 2 seed has reached the Australian Open quarterfinals.
Murray had not lost to a player ranked as low at a major in a decade since his loss to No. 51 Juan Ignacio Chela at Melbourne Park in 2006. It was also the earliest exit by a top-seeded player at the Australian Open since Lleyton Hewitt’s third-round departure in 2003.
And this not even the Zverev brother tipped to go this far at the Australian Open. The 19-year-old Alexander Zverev, widely touted as a potential major winner, led by two sets to one before losing to 14-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal in the third round on Saturday.