MELBOURNE, Australia — Three days after the six-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic bowed out in the tournament’s second round, top-ranked Andy Murray followed.
Murray, a five-time runner-up in Melbourne, was unable to counter the unrelenting net play of 50th-ranked Mischa Zverev, falling by 7-5, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 in 3 hours 34 minutes in a fourth-round match on Sunday afternoon at Rod Laver Arena.
The last time neither Djokovic nor Murray reached the quarterfinals at a major event was when they both lost in the fourth round of the 2007 Australian Open. Then seeded 14th and 15th, they lost to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.