Andy Murray received treatment on his ankle in the deciding set before losing to inspired Czech Tomas Machac 5-7 7-5 7-6 (7-5) in an epic encounter at the Miami Open on Sunday.
After winning the opening set, 36-year-old Murray appeared to be on course for a spot in the fourth round of the tournament he has won twice previously.
But he raged at umpire Carlos Bernardes for failing to control the movement of spectators around the Butch Buchholz court as he lost his serve at the end of the second set.
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Murray battled on despite turning his ankle in the deciding set
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But he lost his cool with umpire Bernardes during his defeat
Machac then raced into a 3-0 lead in the decider, although Murray battled back before receiving medical treatment following an awkward landing on his ankle at 5-5.
The former world No 1 managed to drag the contest into a tie-breaker but Machac conjured up four points in a row from 5-3 down to win a marathon encounter lasting three hours and 27 minutes.
“It’s always a pleasure to share the court with such a great legend. So first of all, I’m happy that I can play this long match against him. But on the opposite, I don’t want to play so long!” Machac said in his on-court interview.
“But at the end, there was everything… I pushed myself from the bottom to manage to win today.”
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The former world No 1 broke Machac with this sizzling winner on his way to winning the first set
Murray had taken the first set after finally capitalising on his ninth break point and, following a 40-minute rain delay, the second set looked destined for a tie-break until Murray lost his serve in the 12th game.
The 36-year-old’s frustrations with fans moving between points boiled over and he could be heard shouting to Bernardes: “Useless, useless.”
In response to an unheard reply from Bernardes, Murray responded: “What are you talking about? It’s quite obvious when people are standing up between every single point.”
It was no surprise that a distracted Murray then lost his serve at the start of the decider but Machac was unable to close out the match at 5-3, serving two double faults as he let Murray back into the contest.
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Murray conjured up this vintage lob to add to his collection
Murray looked to have all the momentum but then seemed to twist his ankle as he ran towards the net after levelling at 5-5, the three-time Grand Slam champion thankfully able to continue after being assessed by a tournament physio.
In typical fashion Murray refused to throw in the towel and saved a match point on his own serve to take the contest to a decisive tie-break which he led 5-3, only for Machac to reel off four points in a row to complete a remarkable win.
“Today for sure, it was the toughest match of my career,” Machac said. “Really, I can say there was everything [in the third set].”
After the match, Murray took a long moment to thank the crowd before signing autographs as he departed.
Machac will next play Italian Matteo Arnaldi, who ousted Denis Shapovalov 6-3 7-6 (9-7) earlier in the day.
Tale of the Tape
MacLagan: Everyday stuff from Murray
“Three stunning points from Machac. Four points to finish the match out from 5-3 down in the tie-break. What an effort!,” said commentator Miles MacLagan on Sky Sports Tennis.
“It’s everyday stuff from Murray. We see that all the time but not coming out on top – that will hurt.
“Fighting back in that third set so admirably. We talk about his indomitable spirit, well that was matched by Thomas Machac who played some absolutely stunning tennis.
“Machac quality just kept getting in the way.”
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Highlights of the match between Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner and Tallon Griekspoor
Elsewhere, Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner recovered from a set down to beat Tallon Griekspoor 5-7 7-5 6-1, but Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan caused a major upset as he knocked out world No 7 Holger Rune 6-1 6-1.
“It is a great feeling to play at the highest level,” Marozsan said.
“I try to play my best tennis and today against a top 10 player and I am enjoying my time here. I try to play my best tennis.”
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