Andy Murray's hopes of a maiden Grand Slam were ended by Fernando Verdasco in a strange 6-2 1-6 6-1 3-6 4-6 loss on the Hisense arena. The British number one looked lethargic and succumbed to the Spaniard's trademark forehand and a first serve that refused to misfire.

The first set scoreline flattered Murray, who himself had to save several break points after securing the break of his own. However, he held firm and took the first set and appeared to be on the way to a comfortable victory.

The Scot has been spending much of his time in bed trying to recover and yet still was able to beat Jurgen Melzer with an impressive scoreline of 7-5 6-0 6-3 on Friday night in Melbourne.