Andy Murray marks his return to the Australian Open – where in 2019 he thought he might have to retire – with a tense first-round win.
| Dates: 17-30 January Venue: Melbourne Park |
| Coverage: Daily radio commentaries on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra, BBC Sport website and app, with selected live text commentaries online; TV highlights from middle Saturday. |
Murray cruised to the first set in 23 minutes but any hopes of a routine win disappeared as Basilashvili recovered.
Momentum swung both ways before Murray, 34, won 6-1 3-6 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-4.
The former world number one is the second Briton through to round two after Heather Watson also won.
Emma Raducanu, Dan Evans and Liam Broady play later on Tuesday.
Murray is the first British man to win in Melbourne this year after top-ranked Cameron Norrie suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of America’s rising star Sebastian Korda on day one.
Murray, a five-time beaten finalist in Melbourne, will play Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel in the second round on Thursday.
“It’s amazing,” Murray said shortly after winning on John Cain Arena.
“It’s been a tough three or four years but I’ve put in a lot of hard work to get here.
“I’ve played on this court many times and the atmosphere is always incredible.
“It is where I thought I had potentially played my last match but to win a five-set battle like that, I couldn’t have asked any more.”
More to follow.