British men’s number one Cameron Norrie is out of the Australian Open after losing to rising star Jiri Lehecka.
| Venue: Melbourne Park Dates: 16-29 January |
| Coverage: Commentary every day from 07:00 GMT on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra ‘Tennis Breakfast’ live from Melbourne, with selected live text commentaries and match reports on the BBC Sport website & app |
Norrie, seeded 11th, had been aiming to knock off another notable career milestone by reaching the last 16 at Melbourne Park for the first time.
He led by two sets to one before Czech Lehecka, 21, fought back to win 6-7 (8-10) 6-3 3-6 6-1 6-4 in the third round.
The 27-year-old left-hander was far from his best and needed treatment on his left knee early in the decider.
Lehecka will play Canadian sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round on Sunday.
It was a measure of revenge for the 21-year-old after he was beaten by Norrie at the Auckland Open last week.
“I felt that I could beat him,” said Lehecka, who is ranked 71st in the world.
“The only thing I learnt from that match [in Auckland] was to never give up and fight for every ball.”
Norrie’s exit means Andy Murray – who won his extraordinary second-round match at 04:05 local time earlier on Friday – and Dan Evans are the only British players remaining in either singles draw.
More to follow.