MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — LOOKAHEAD TO SATURDAY
Andy Murray will try to overcome whatever lingering exhaustion he might have after two five-set matches and more than 10 hours of action at the Australian Open when he plays Roberto Bautista Agut for a place in the fourth round. Murray played the longest match of his career to beat Thanasi Kokkinakis across 5 hours, 45 minutes in the second round. That came after a match that lasted nearly 5 hours in the first round. Murray is a three-time Grand Slam champion and a five-time runner-up at Melbourne Park. He is bidding to reach the last 16 of a Grand Slam event for the first time since Wimbledon in 2017. The 35-year-old Murray had a metal hip inserted in 2019. Nine-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic will test out his sore hamstring when he plays 27th-seeded Grigor Dimitrov. Djokovic is 9-1 for his career against Dimitrov. Djokovic would equal Rafael Nadal's men's record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles if he wins the Australian Open. No. 4 Caroline Garcia and No. 5 Aryna Sabalenka are among the women in third-round action as Week 1 comes to a close.
SATURDAY'S FORECAST
Mostly sunny. High of 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius).
FRIDAY'S KEY RESULTS