- Breyten Breytenbach, writer who challenged apartheid, dies at 85
- Tuipulotu try helps Scotland end Australia's bid for Grand Slam
- Truce called after 82 killed in Pakistan sectarian clashes
- Salah wants Liverpool to pile on misery for Man City after sinking Saints
- Berrettini takes Italy to brink of Davis Cup defence
- Lille condemn Sampaoli to defeat on Rennes debut
- Basel backs splashing the bucks to host Eurovision
- Leicester sack manager Steve Cooper
- IPL auction records tumble as Pant, Iyer break $3 mn mark
- Salah sends Liverpool eight points clear after Southampton scare
- Key Trump pick calls for end to escalation in Ukraine
- Tuipulotu try helps Scotland end Australia's bid for a Grand Slam
- Davis Cup organisers hit back at critics of Nadal retirement ceremony
- Noel in a 'league of his own' as he wins Gurgl slalom
- A dip or deeper decline? Guardiola seeks response to Man City slump
- Germany goes nuts for viral pistachio chocolate
- EU urges immediate halt to Israel-Hezbollah war
- Far right targets breakthrough in Romania presidential vote
- Basel votes to stump up bucks to host Eurovision
- Ukraine shows fragments of new Russian missile after 'Oreshnik' strike
- IPL auction records tumble as Pant and Iyer snapped up
- Six face trial in Paris for blackmailing Paul Pogba
- Olympic champion An wins China crown in style
- It's party time for Las Vegas victor Russell on 'dream weekend'
- Former Masters champion Reed seals dominant Hong Kong Open win
- Norris applauds 'deserved' champion Verstappen
- Jaiswal and Kohli slam centuries as Australia stare at defeat
- Kohli blasts century as India declare against Australia
- Verstappen 'never thought' he'd win four world titles
- Former Masters champion Reed wins Hong Kong Open
- Awesome foursomes: Formula One's exclusive club of four-time world champions
- Smylie beats 'idol' Cameron Smith to win Australian PGA Championship
- Five key races in Max Verstappen's 2024 title season
- Max Verstappen: Young, gifted and single-minded four-time F1 champion
- 'Star is born': From homeless to Test hero for India's Jaiswal
- Verstappen wins fourth consecutive Formula One world title
- Survivors, sniffing dogs join anti-mine march at Cambodia's Angkor Wat
- Far right eye breakthrough in Romania presidential vote
- Jaiswal slams majestic 161 but Australia fight back in Perth
- Edinburgh's alternative tour guides show 'more real' side of city
- IPL teams set to splash the cash at 'mega-auction' in Saudi Arabia
- Olympics in India a 'dream' facing many hurdles
- Wounded Bangladesh protesters receive robotic helping hand
- Majestic Jaiswal 141 not out as India pile pain on Australia
- Giannis, Lillard lead Bucks over Hornets as Spurs beat Warriors
- Juan Mata agent slammed as 'cowardly' by angry A-League coach
- Marta inspires Orlando Pride to NWSL title
- Palestinian pottery sees revival in war-ravaged Gaza
- Main points of the $300 billion climate deal
- Robertson wants policy change for overseas-based All Blacks
'Proud' Murray wins five-set epic on return to Australian Open
Andy Murray said that the injury hell which nearly forced him into retirement now seemed worth all the pain after battling to his first win at the Australian Open since 2017 on Tuesday.
The three-time Grand Slam champion, playing with a metal hip following career-saving surgery in 2019, heroically emerged victorious from five epic sets against 21st seed Nikoloz Basilashvili.
The 34-year-old Murray wrestled with the big-hitting Georgian for almost four hours before claiming his place in the second round, where he will face Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel.
Scotland's Murray, ranked 113 and playing as a tournament wild card, showed his trademark fighting spirit to edge home in the gripping final set and clinch a 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-4 victory.
It was his first match at the Australian Open since 2019, when he went out in the first round. He made a tearful exit and it was thought that it might be his farewell. He had surgery on his hip weeks later, his career at stake.
"I think winning matches like today and competing against guys that are around 20-25 in the rankings, yeah, I'm proud of that," Murray, a former world number one, said.
"It's not easy. I put a lot of work and effort in. Even since the operation I've had various issues as well. Kept going and, yeah, days like today make it worthwhile."
Of his return to the court that conjured painful memories of his last tilt at the Australian Open, Murray added: "I don't think much about what happened three years ago. I know you'd probably like me to say something different, but that's the truth."
His nail-biting victory over Basilashvili continued an intense rivalry between the pair, with Murray rallying from a set down to defeat him last week in Sydney and also prevailing over four sets in the first round at Wimbledon last year.
- Thundering groundstrokes -
Murray grabbed the opening set with the loss of just one game, but Basilashvili levelled it up with the second set, before trading blows with the wily Scot in the third.
Basilashvili was hammering his groundstrokes and Murray had to use all his guile and guts to get the ball back in play and work for an opening.
They went to a deciding set after Basilashvili refused to go quietly, winning a titanic tiebreaker in the fourth set.
The Georgian began the final set poorly, falling behind 0-40 on serve and netting a backhand to hand Murray a break.
But yet again Basilashvili refused to give in and broke back to level at 4-4.
Murray held serve and then got to 0-40 on Basilashvili's service in the 10th game before taking the epic, to crowd pandemonium inside the arena.
Murray lost to Roger Federer once in the final of the Australian Open and four times to Novak Djokovic.
But Murray is a three-time Grand Slam champion, winning the 2012 US Open, and the following year he became the first British man to win the Wimbledon singles crown in 77 years. He won it again in 2016.
T.Bondarenko--BTB