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Andy Murray falls, Mischa Zverev fourth round win breakdown

By Harry Floyd

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Andy Murray is the world No. 1 and top seed at the Australian Open. The top player in tennis could not, however, survive the play of Mischa Zverev.

Andy Murray struggled early against Mischa Zverev.

The 29-year-old German tennis player reached a fourth round match against Murray. It is the furthest he has ever advanced at the Australian Open.

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During the first set, Murray could not find his rhythm. Zverev effectively kept the Scot off balance, never allowing the world No. 1 to pull away. Zverev’s relentless off-speed hitting earned him a shocking first set victory.

Zverev took the first set 7-5.

Needing to rebound, Murray quickly came out strong to start the second set. Despite a surge of confidence, Zverev closed the gap and forced the world No.1 to fight for each game in the second set. Murray was able to edge the German tennis player 7-5 in the second set.

Immediately, the match started down a different road than when the two faced one another last season at the Australian Open. In 2016, Murray defeated Zverev in straight sets.

A third set went in favor of Zverev 6-2.

Seemingly out of nowhere, the German tennis player turned up the heat, defeating the world No. 1 in a dominant set. You could see Zverev’s body language change, almost realizing then that he had a chance to dethrone the number one seed.

The fourth set showed glimmers of hope for Murray, but it was not enough. Fighting to resist what would become his most disappointing exit of the major tournament, the Scot did his best to battle in the fourth set. It was not, however, enough. Zverev was able to place drop shots where Murray had no chance of getting to. He had the Scot off balance again on his serves and seemed to be far more in sync than the world No. 1.

Ending the final set 6-4, Zverev put on a display that no one saw coming. His ability to throw Murray off on his serves and continue to dominate both at the baseline and the net was unprecedented. On his first attempt at match point, Zverev clinched victory and completed the biggest upset of the 2017 Australian Open.

The upset knocks Andy Murray out of contention for a title at Melbourne Park. The major tournament is now wide open with both he and Novak Djokovic out of the mix. Zverev pulled off the impossible and deservedly won a match. Check back to see how far the German tennis player can continue at Melbourne Park.

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