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MELBOURNE — Novak Djokovic was two wins away from a 22nd Grand Slam crown after bulldozing into the Australian Open semifinals on Wednesday, while Aryna Sabalenka was equally impressive in reaching the women’s last four.

Serbia’s Djokovic delivered a masterclass to crush Russian fifth seed Andrey Rublev 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 on Rod Laver Arena and set up a meeting with Tommy Paul for a place in Sunday’s final.

Djokovic’s quest to go level with great rival Rafael Nadal on a leading 22 major titles carries an air of inevitability.

The 35-year-old struggled with a hamstring injury in the early rounds at Melbourne Park but was dominant during his fourth-round demolition of Alex de Minaur and was equally clinical against the outclassed Rublev.

“Last two matches, playing against two guys who were in form and to beat them dominantly in three sets is something that I definitely want in this moment, something that sends a message to all my opponents,” said a buoyant Djokovic.

“With this kind of game the confidence level rises, so I feel better on the court as the tournament progresses.” 

Victory for the red-hot favourite propelled him into a 44th Grand Slam semifinal to close the gap on Roger Federer’s all-time record of 46.

Anything other than a rampant win for Djokovic against unseeded Paul would amount to a massive upset, albeit at a tournament that has seen numerous shocks in the men’s and women’s draws.

Paul defeated his fellow American Ben Shelton 7-6 (8/6), 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 to reach his first major semifinal.

But former World No. 1 Djokovic, who can return to the top of the rankings if he wins the Australian Open for a record-extending 10th time, will be a whole new prospect.

Paul, ranked 35, and the Serb great have never played each other before.

“I saw him in the locker room after I finished my match. He said, ‘congrats’,” said the 25-year-old, adding they had practised together before.

“Obviously he’s pretty comfortable here in Australia,” the American added. “It’s going to be a challenging match but I’m playing some of my best tennis, so it’s a good time.”

The other semifinal is between third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and Russian 18th seed Karen Khachanov.

Ominous Sabalenka

Sabalenka set up a semifinal with surprise-package Magda Linette after once again displaying the kind of form and finesse that have made her favourite for the women’s title.

The Belarusian fifth seed defeated Croatia’s Donna Vekic 6-3, 6-2 as she closes on a first Grand Slam title.

The match was closer than the score suggested, but Sabalenka is playing scintillating tennis — she is yet to drop a set so far this year.

It is a far cry from a year ago, when she struggled badly with her serve and was reduced to tears at an Australian Open warm-up tournament.

The 24-year-old is benefiting from a different approach when facing adversity on court.

“Before I was trying to go for aces, go for crazy shots to get easily out, to get out easily from those situations,” she said.

“Right now I keep saying: ‘No, work for it, it’s not going to be easy.’”

Sabalenka will play unseeded Linette for a place in Saturday’s final after the Pole marched into her first major semifinal at the age of 30.

Linette stunned former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 7-5 to continue flying the flag for Poland after the shock exit of World No. 1 Iga Swiatek.

“I’m so emotional, I can’t really believe it,” said Linette, ranked 45 in the world.

“It’s a dream come true. I’m super grateful and happy. Thank you for cheering and supporting, I really needed this.

“So we keep going. I don’t want to get too excited because we are still in the tournament,” added the Pole.

Two-time Melbourne champion Victoria Azarenka, also from Belarus, will face Moscow-born Kazakh Elena Rybakina in the other semifinal.

Both women’s semifinals are on Thursday.

MELBOURNE — Stefanos Tsitsipas closed in on a first Grand Slam title by reaching the Australian Open semifinals on Tuesday in impressive fashion, as Victoria Azarenka also powered into the last four.

Tsitsipas was a convincing 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 winner over unseeded Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic and faces Karen Khachanov next.

The 24-year-old Tsitsipas is the highest remaining seed left at three and with Melbourne’s large Greek community roaring him on, his title charge is gathering pace.

“I’m feeling great with my tennis. I don’t think I felt so good in a long time,” said Tsitsipas, after making the Australian Open semifinals for a fourth time.

“I’m a different player, playing different. My mentality is different.”

Tsitsipas, who will become World No. 1 should he win the title, was pretty much in control throughout against the 71st-ranked Lehecka.

But he did lose his cool at one point in the third set, smacking the ball into the wall after losing a point as a ball boy went to collect it nearby.

“What I did, definitely I’m not happy about that. I shouldn’t have done it,” Tsitsipas said about the incident.

The other quarterfinal at Rod Laver Arena between Russia’s Khachanov and Sebastian Korda had been warming up nicely until the American hurt his wrist.

The 18th seed went through when Korda retired in the third set, down 7-6 (7/5), 6-3, 3-0.

The 22-year-old Korda, who had been attempting to emulate his father Petr’s Australian Open victory in 1998, said afterwards that he could barely hold the racquet.

He said he first felt the injury while playing the Adelaide International this month, where he made the final and forced a championship point before being beaten by Novak Djokovic.

But it had not bothered him in the opening four rounds at Melbourne Park until he hit a return in the second set.

“Volleying was almost impossible for me, so it was a little tough,” he said.

For Khachanov it is a second consecutive Grand Slam semifinal, having reached the last four at the 2022 US Open.

Nine-time Melbourne champion Djokovic is still on the scene, with a quarterfinal against Russian fifth seed Andrey Rublev on Wednesday.

The other quarterfinal is an all-American clash between Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul.

‘It’s my weapon’

Azarenka is back in the last four in Melbourne for the first time since she won the tournament in 2013 and will face big-serving Elena Rybakina.

The Belarusian Azarenka, who also triumphed in 2012, secured an impressive straight-sets victory over Jessica Pegula.

Third seed Pegula was hotly tipped to win the title but the American simply had no answers to Azarenka’s pounding forehand groundstrokes.

The 33-year-old Azarenka rolled back the years in a surprisingly one-sided quarterfinal to triumph 6-4, 6-1.

“Well, it hurts to beat her because I always want her to do well,” the 24th seed said of Pegula, a close friend and practice partner.

Asked how her young son Leo would receive his mum’s latest achievement, Azarenka said: “He’s more worried about his football and when we’re going to play again.

“He definitely wants his mum to be home.”

Leo will have to wait at least a few more days because Azarenka faces Moscow-born Kazakh Rybakina on Thursday for a place in the final.

Rybakina blasted her way into the semifinals with a ruthless 6-2, 6-4 win over Jelena Ostapenko.

The 23-year-old Rybakina sent down 11 aces to blow former French Open champion Ostapenko off court in 79 minutes.

The 22nd seed has blasted 35 aces so far, more than any other woman at the tournament.

Ominously, she said her serve is better now than when she won Wimbledon last year.

“I gained even more power. It’s my weapon on the court and of course we are trying to work on it,” she said.

MELBOURNE — Novak Djokovic surged into the Australian Open quarterfinals in ominous fashion on Monday while Aryna Sabalenka was an equally ruthless winner.

After a series of shocks at Melbourne Park, normal order was more or less restored on day eight, except for fourth seed Caroline Garcia bowing out under the weight of expectation.

Djokovic demolished Alex de Minaur for the loss of just five games to sweep into the last eight and step up his bid for a 10th Melbourne crown, and record-tying 22nd major title in all.

He will meet fifth seed Andrey Rublev for a semifinal berth after the Russian toppled Danish teenage talent Holger Rune in a thrilling five-set clash also at Rod Laver Arena.

The Serb’s 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 triumph over 22nd-seeded home hope De Minaur was significant also because his troublesome left hamstring was much improved.

Asked afterwards how he had been so emphatic, Djokovic told the crowd: “Because I wanted to.”

The 35-year-old called it his “best match of this year so far” and a “perfect match”.

And of his hamstring added: “Tonight I didn’t feel any pain. I moved as well as I have the whole tournament. 

“It means we are progressing in the right direction.”

His next opponent Rublev admitted he was “lucky” after saving two match points against Rune in energy-sapping heat.

He described beating the 19-year-old as “not like a rollercoaster, it’s like they put a gun to your head. A rollercoaster is easier”.

In a men’s draw decimated by shocks, including the second-round exit of reigning champion Rafael Nadal, there will be a last-eight clash between two unseeded Americans.

The 20-year-old Ben Shelton, on his first trip outside the United States, emerged from another five-setter against friend and fellow American JJ Wolf.

Shelton is only the fourth man in the past 20 years to reach the Melbourne quarterfinals on debut.

“Definitely a surprise,” said 89th-ranked Shelton, who a year ago was at the University of Florida and ranked 569 in the world.

“It being my first time, never being out of the United States, I knew it would be a struggle,” he added. 

“So I think it maybe has helped me a little bit kind of not having that expectation or the feeling that I have to perform, but being able to just go out there, be myself and play free.” 

He plays Tommy Paul, who defeated 24th seed Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain.

‘Not comfortable’ Garcia

In the women’s draw, Garcia became the latest top-10 seed to fall, with a shock defeat to Magda Linette, ranked 45 in the world.

This is the first Grand Slam since the Open era began in 1968 to lose the top two seeds in both the men’s and women’s draws before the last eight.

Unseeded Pole Linette stunned Garcia 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 and the French player admitted that expectations and nerves got the better of her.

Asked if being one of the favourites for the title had been too much to handle, she replied: “Yes, I think so.

“It’s one of the things I’m not comfortable with.” 

Linette said she “couldn’t believe it” as she reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the age of 30.

She faces Karolina Pliskova after the former World No. 1 romped past China’s Zhang Shuai 6-0, 6-4.

Sabalenka never really looked like she would follow top seed Iga Swiatek, Garcia and the rest out of the first major of the year.

The Belarusian and third-seeded American Jessica Pegula — both chasing a maiden major crown — are now the women to beat.

Sabalenka defeated dangerous 12th seed Belinda Bencic 7-5, 6-2 to set up a last-eight clash against unseeded Donna Vekic, who beat 17-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova in three sets.

Hard-hitting Sabalenka sprinted into her first quarterfinal at the Australian Open and said: “My whole life, it took me a little while to understand that negative emotion is not gonna help you on court.

“You have to just stay strong and believe no matter what, and then do everything you can.”

LOS ANGELES — The Boston Celtics shook off the absence of injured Jayson Tatum and the early exits of Marcus Smart and Robert Williams to beat the Toronto Raptors 106-104 on Saturday and push their NBA winning streak to nine games.

Jaylen Brown scored 27 points and Grant Williams added a career-high 25 for the Celtics, who improved their league-best record to 35-12.

Coming off a gritty overtime win over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, the Celtics trailed 85-81 going into the fourth quarter.

But they opened the final frame with a 9-0 run courtesy of three-pointers from Brown, Payton Pritchard and Grant Williams and stayed in front until Toronto tied it up at 103-103 on Gary Trent Jr.’s three-pointer with 2:23 to play.

Pritchard, who scored all of his 12 points in the fourth quarter, drained another three-pointer that proved to be enough after veteran Al Horford came up with a block and a steal in the final 10 seconds.

Malcolm Brogdon added 23 points off the bench for Boston, whose top scorer Tatum was sidelined with a sore left wrist.

Grant Williams said Tatum’s absence was no reason for the Celtics to surrender the mindset of an elite team gunning to get back to the NBA Finals for a second straight year after falling to Golden State in the title series.

“You can’t back down from any challenge, no matter if you’re down 12 guys, no matter if you’re down four, no matter if you’re down two, no matter if you’re a full team,” he said. “You have to do your job.”

Smart rolled his right ankle in the second quarter and left the game while Robert Williams hurt his left knee.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said Williams’s injury was “nothing serious” and Smart had a sprained ankle.

“X-rays were negative,” he said of Smart, who had to be helped off the court. “So it’s just a matter of how he’s able to cope with it day to day.”

The Philadelphia 76ers, playing without star centre Joel Embiid and playmaker James Harden because of injury management, completed a perfect 5-0 road trip against Western Conference teams with a 129-127 victory over the Kings in Sacramento.

The 76ers ended the Kings’ six-game win streak, using a big third quarter to turn the tide after trailing by 21 on the way to a 10-point halftime deficit.

Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers with 32 points and six assists.

Domantas Sabonis had a near triple-double for Sacramento with 16 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists. De’Aaron Fox scored 14 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter — when the Kings got an 11-point deficit down to one three times before the Sixers closed it out.

In Cleveland, Evan Mobley scored a career-high 38 points in a 114-102 victory over a Milwaukee Bucks team missing two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton.

A day earlier, the Cavs let a Golden State team missing star shooter Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green get past them, with coach J.B. Bickerstaff saying his team “got what we deserved” after taking the depleted Warriors too lightly.

On Saturday, second-year forward Mobley was laser-focused, connecting on 19 of 27 shots from the field and grabbing nine rebounds.

Mobley scored 14 points in the fourth quarter alone. Darius Garland added 21 points and 10 assists and Caris LeVert, starting in place of the Cavs’ injured top scorer Donovan Mitchell, added 13 points.

Milwaukee led by Jrue Holiday’s 28 points, trailed much of the contest but managed to edge ahead twice early in the fourth quarter before Cleveland closed the door.

In Minneapolis, Anthony Edwards scored a season-high 44 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 113-104 victory over the Houston Rockets.

Elsewhere the lowly Charlotte Hornets claimed back-to-back games for just the second time this season as they eked out a 122-118 victory over the Hawks in Atlanta.

MELBOURNE — Novak Djokovic’s hamstring just about held up as the hot favourite reached the Australian Open last 16 on Saturday, as Andy Murray’s heroic run ended in typically defiant style.

Hard-hitting Aryna Sabalenka meanwhile burnished her title credentials as she barrelled into round four along with several other women’s seeds.

An ailing Djokovic had heavy strapping and needed treatment twice on his troublesome left hamstring before defeating Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 (9/7), 6-3, 6-4 on Rod Laver Arena.

The Serb will face home hope Alex de Minaur for a place in the quarter-finals as he closes on a 10th Melbourne Park crown and a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam title.

“Obviously, I didn’t know how I’m going to feel physically, it was going up and down,” said Djokovic.

“It was an incredible battle, three sets over three hours. Let’s rest up and prepare for the next one.”

Djokovic’s fellow 35-year-old Murray will not join him in the next round, however, as the Briton’s 4:05 am finish eventually caught up with him.

Former No. 1 Murray was clearly feeling the effects of his epic five-setter in round two, which started on Thursday but ended in the early hours of Friday.

The 24th-seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut won 6-1, 6-7 (7/9), 6-3, 6-4 and faces unseeded Tommy Paul of the United States in the last 16.

Also in the men’s draw, fifth seed Andrey Rublev surged into a clash with Holger Rune — then thanked his beaten opponent Dan Evans for giving him a banana mid-match.

The Russian crushed the Briton 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 to make the fourth round for a third time.

He will face Danish teenager Rune for a place in the quarter-finals after the ninth seed survived a nasty fall to sweep past unseeded Frenchman Ugo Humbert 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7/5).

His friend and 25th seed Evans threw a banana to Rublev at a changeover when he ran out.

“I didn’t ask him, I asked the ball boy, but Danny asked for bananas earlier and he had two so he just said ‘take it’, and I caught it,” said Rublev.

“He helped me with some energy, for sure,” he joked.

In two all-American matches, Jeffrey Wolf strolled past Michael Mmoh in three sets while Paul made equally light work of Jenson Brooksby.

Ominous Sabalenka

Sabalenka is building a head of steam in her pursuit of a first Grand Slam title.

The Belarusian fifth seed blew away 26th-seeded Elise Mertens 6-2, 6-3 to set up a clash with Olympic champion Belinda Bencic.

Thirtieth seed Karolina Pliskova and 23rd seed Zhang Shuai also went through in straight sets on day six at Melbourne Park, and will clash in the fourth round.

Sabalenka is trying not to get carried away.

The Minsk-born 24-year-old teased the Margaret Court Arena crowd for supporting Belgium’s Mertens over her, but said she was enjoying the ride into the second week.

“About the favourite, that I am on that favourite list... I mean, it’s really good that I’m there,” said the Belarusian, who is yet to drop a set.

“But I better focus on myself, on my game, make sure that my dream will happen.”

Bencic has also not dropped a set in Melbourne. The Swiss 12th seed eased past unseeded Italian Camila Giorgi 6-2, 7-5.

Also into the fourth round is the 17-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova, who beat her fellow Czech Marketa Vondrousova in three sets. She faces Donna Vekic of Croatia.

“It feels pretty surreal,” the teenager told reporters.

“It’s an incredible feeling. I’m just so happy and excited to be able to say: ‘Hi second week!’”

French fourth seed Caroline Garcia fought back after a disastrous first set to beat World No. 158 Laura Siegemund 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.

LOS ANGELES — Steven Adams grabbed the first game-winning basket of his career as the Memphis Grizzlies rolled to a franchise record-equalling 11th straight victory on Wednesday with a 115-114 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

New Zealand international Adams was on hand to tip-in at the basket after an attempted layup by Ja Morant with just under 17 seconds remaining of a thrilling battle at the FedExForum in Memphis.

Memphis small forward Dillon Brooks then conjured a crucial block to thwart Cavs point guard Darius Garland’s attempt at a buzzer-beating three-pointer.

“We’ve got a bunch of dogs over here who are ready to play every single night,” Brooks said afterwards.

Memphis’s 11th straight victory equalled the team’s longest win streak set last season and leaves them with 31 wins and 13 defeats in the Western Conference, just behind leaders Denver (32-13).

The outcome of a seesaw game was in the balance up until the final seconds of a contest that saw the lead change hands no fewer than 16 times.

Memphis looked to be cruising towards another blowout after opening up a 19-point lead in the second quarter.

Cleveland hit back however to reel in the Memphis lead, and appeared poised for an upset victory after Evan Mobley’s hook shot put the Cavs up 114-111 with just over a minute remaining.

Two Morant free throws got the Grizzlies to 114-113 however, and when Cleveland coughed up a costly turnover for a five-second time violation, Morant drove forward to set up the layup for Adams’ winning rebound — the first game-winner of the Kiwi’s nine-season NBA career.

“That was his first game-winner, he’s definitely hyped,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said of Adams. 

Desmond Bane led the Grizzlies scoring with 25 points while Morant added 24 with eight assists. Jaren Jackson Jr posted 15 points while Adams finished with a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Elsewhere Wednesday, Nikola Jokic posted a 31-point triple double as Denver ensured they remained on top of the West with a 122-118 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Nuggets’ eighth consecutive victory went down to the wire, however, with Minnesota leading by five points at 118-113 with just under three minutes remaining at Denver’s Ball Arena.

But the Nuggets finished strong with a 9-0 run to keep their winning streak intact.

“We love it, we know we can improve, and we can see we have ups and downs in a game,” Jokic said of Denver’s form. “Fourth quarter is the winning time and I’m just glad we always deliver when we need it.”

In Los Angeles, LeBron James delivered another high-scoring performance but it was not enough to stop the Lakers slipping to a 116-111 defeat to the Sacramento Kings.

James, who is on pace to overtake Kareem Abdul-Jabbar next month as the NBA’s all-time leading points scorer, finished with 32 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.

But the Lakers slid to their 25th defeat of the season after a solid Kings performance that saw De’Aaron Fox score 31 points.

In Dallas, Dejounte Murray scored 30 points as the Atlanta Hawks swept to an impressive 130-122 win on the road over the Mavericks.

Dallas star Luka Doncic matched Murray’s 30-point tally but the Mavs were unable to contain a balanced Atlanta offensive display which remarkably saw eight of their nine players finish in double figures.

John Collins had 19 points while Trae Young added 18 points with 12 assists for Atlanta.

“We’re playing for 48 minutes now and not just for 24 or 30 or whatever,” Murray said after Atlanta’s fourth straight win.

In New Orleans, Bam Adebayo’s 26 points helped the Miami Heat to a 124-98 win over the Pelicans.

Jimmy Butler chipped in with 18 points while Tyler Herro added 14 as Miami improved to 25-21 to remain in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt.

LOS ANGELES — Nikola Jokic bagged his 13th triple-double of the season as the Denver Nuggets overcame a 44-point display from Damian Lillard to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers 122-113 on Tuesday.

Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic finished with 36 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists as Denver extended their winning streak to seven games to move one game clear of Memphis at the top of the Western Conference.

It was the 17th 30-point triple-double of Jokic’s career, placing him in illustrious company alongside Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in seventh on the all-time rankings.

A high-scoring first half saw Denver take a 73-66 lead, with Lillard keeping Portland firmly in the hunt with 30 points in the opening two quarters.

But Denver’s defensive adjustments in the second half helped them take a firm grip on the contest as they stretched away in the fourth quarter — leading by as much as 20 points at one stage — to close out the win.

“It’s always tough and it’s always interesting against them,” Jokic said afterwards. “They’re a good team with a good coach and Lillard is playing amazing right now. 

“But I think in the second half we played really good defence... and that’s why we won the game.”

Jokic’s 36-point haul came from 13-of-14 shooting from the field, including a near-perfect display from the free-throw line.

The Serb was one of five Denver players in double figures — Michael Porter Jr. added 23 points and Jamal Murray 17. 

Bruce Brown had 12 off the bench while Aaron Gordon added 11.

Portland talisman Lillard meanwhile made six-of-12 from three-point range and was a perfect 14-of-14 from the foul line in his 44-point tally.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, a depleted Brooklyn Nets slumped to a third straight loss in a 106-98 defeat to the San Antonio Spurs.

The Nets were missing Kevin Durant (knee) and Kyrie Irving (calf) through injury, and the absentees proved critical as Spurs star Keldon Johnson bagged a career-high 36 points and 11 rebounds.

The victory snapped a five-game losing streak for San Antonio, who remain one place off the bottom of the Western Conference with 14 wins and 31 defeats.

Brooklyn have not won a game since Durant suffered his right knee injury against Miami on January 8.

‘A team effort’

While Brooklyn are struggling to rediscover their winning rhythm without Durant, Milwaukee once again shrugged off the loss of their star Giannis Antetokounmpo as they rolled to a 130-122 win over the Toronto Raptors.

Antetokounmpo has now missed four straight games for the Bucks, but Jrue Holiday stepped up with a big performance to guide the 2021 NBA champions to victory.

Holiday finished with a season-high 37 points, with six rebounds and seven assists, as second-placed Milwaukee edged closer to Boston at the top of the Eastern Conference.

Milwaukee trailed 74-67 at half-time but cut loose in the third quarter to effectively seal victory, outscoring Toronto 38-23.

“Definitely a team effort, everybody just played their hearts out and got the win,” Holiday said afterwards.

In Tuesday’s other game, Joel Embiid scored 41 points as the Philadelphia 76ers overpowered the Los Angeles Clippers 120-110 on the road. 

The Sixers remain third in the Eastern Conference standings at 28-16.

MELBOURNE — Novak Djokovic enjoyed a rousing reception on a winning return to the Australian Open on Tuesday and Andy Murray rolled back the years to stun Matteo Berrettini in a classic.

On a day of bans on Russian flags and weather-induced disruption, two of the sport’s biggest names belatedly brought the focus back on tennis in Melbourne.

A heavy title favourite, the 35-year-old Djokovic was back after his deportation last year because of his stance on COVID vaccines.

If the Serb was worried about how he might be received by the Melbourne Park crowd, he needn’t have been — the nine-time Australian Open champion walked out to loud cheers.

Against the backdrop of chants of “Nole”, Djokovic sent Spain’s 75th-ranked Roberto Carballes Baena packing at Rod Laver Arena, 6-3, 6-4, 6-0, to surge into round two.

“Thank you for giving me such a welcoming reception that I could only dream of,” said Djokovic, who is chasing a record-equalling 22nd major title.

“I feel really happy that I’m back here in Australia and on the court where I have had the biggest success in my career.” 

Prior to that, the day had belonged to another 35-year-old in Murray — and Melbourne’s famously fickle weather.

The Briton saved match point to defeat Italy’s 13th seed Berrettini 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 (7/9), 7-6 (10/6) in 4hrs 49mins at Rod Laver Arena, where the roof was closed because of the extreme heat.

“I will be feeling this this evening and tomorrow,” said the former World No. 1, who plays with a metal hip after career-saving surgery.

“But right now unbelievably happy and proud of myself.”

Also in the men’s draw, Norwegian second seed Casper Ruud battled through to the second round with a 6-3, 7-6 (8/6), 6-7 (5/7), 6-3 defeat of Tomas Machac. 

The match finished after 1am.

“It’s been a long day,” said Ruud, after kicking off a campaign that could see him become World No. 1.

Earlier, Russia’s fifth seed Andrey Rublev ended the tournament of 2020 finalist Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in 36 degrees Celsius temperatures.

As the mercury rose, the heat forced play to be halted on outside courts. The roofs were closed on the three main stadiums: Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena. 

Play resumed on the outside courts about three hours later, only to be disrupted again in the evening when a storm hit, dumping torrential rain that eventually saw some matches suspended for the day.

Eighth-seeded Taylor Fritz, 12th seed Alexander Zverev and ninth seed Holger Rune all rolled into the next round.

Jabeur labours

The women’s draw threw up no real shocks.

Tunisia’s second seed Ons Jabeur, runner-up at Wimbledon and the US Open last year, was far from her fluent best but eventually defeated Slovenia’s Tamara Zidansek.

The shaky Jabeur won the first set on a tiebreak, lost the second 6-4, then finally found her rhythm to clinch the decider 6-1.

“I just tried to follow what my coach told me to do,” she said of her turnaround in the third set.

“I wasn’t really doing that and he’s going to kill me after the match,” she joked.

Caroline Garcia and Aryna Sabalenka — fourth and fifth seeds respectively — had it easier as they swept into the second round.

France’s Garcia took just 65 minutes to overwhelm Canadian qualifier Katherine Sebov 6-3, 6-0 and cement her status as a contender for the first Grand Slam of the year.

Sabalenka beat the Czech Republic’s Tereza Martincova 6-1, 6-4.

The 26th seed Elise Mertens was another winner. The Belgian outlasted Spain’s former Melbourne finalist Garbine Muguruza, who was cramping before losing 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-1.