ANDY MURRAY “killed” his racquet in a fit of rage after dropping his first set at this year’s event in Melbourne.
After waltzing through the first two sets against Stephane Robert, Murray wasted four match points against the world No.119 before losing out in a tie-break.
The furious Wimbledon champion then received a warning for racquet abuse as he vented his frustrations.
But 28 minutes later the smiling world No.4 was presenting the smashed up Head to a thrilled Scottish fan in the Hisense Arena after his 6-1 6-2 6-7 (6-8) 6-2 victory.
And Murray – who now faces Swiss ace Roger Federer in the quarter finals – reckons the release of anger had worked. He said: “Sometimes it’s necessary.
“I had match points and put a lot of hard work into that set. I maybe lost concentration when I served for it. In the tie-break I didn’t lose my focus. I just missed a couple of shots.
“Losing that set was frustrating because it obviously means you’re out there another 30 minutes.
“My racquet bit the dust. Unfortunate for it but I was glad I started well in the fourth.
“I don’t recall the last time I did it – I don’t keep count. It’s not something as a player you’re particularly proud of.
“But sometimes you just need to get some frustration out.
“It’s not living so I don’t feel like I killed it but it won’t be getting used again.”
This fourth-round encounter had been painfully one-sided to start with as Murray won the first two sets in only 64 minutes.
Robert was bidding to become the first lucky loser – he crashed out in the final round of qualifying but still made the tournament when Philipp Kohlschreiber pulled out injured – to reach the last eight in a Grand Slam.
He looked way out of his depth but then the 33-year-old, who likes to go to casinos to relax during tournaments, started to gamble with his shot-making.
With the crowd cheering on the underdog in the hope of some entertainment, Robert upped his game while Murray’s deteriorated. In the seventh game the Scot needed seven break points before finally gaining the upper hand.
He then served a double fault on his first match point at 5-4 before the maverick Frenchman crushed a forehand down the line to save a second match point.
Robert then broke back to force the tie-break.
After falling behind 4-1 in the tie-break, Murray won the next five points but could not convert a further two match points.
And his anger boiled over when he hit a sloppy forehand long on Robert’s first set point – and then failed to overturn the call on a challenge.
That was the final shot played by that racquet.
Robert needed treatment on his left hip at 2-1 down in the fourth set as normal service was resumed.
Murray failed to convert another match point at 5-2 when a Robert forehand winner hit the line before he closed out the match.
He made 47 unforced errors, including 32 on his wayward forehand. The British No.1 said: “He is a fun player to watch but not to play against. He plays all the shots and is a tricky player.
“The whole match was tricky. Obviously the end of the third set was tough mentally. But I was happy for the most part.
“I dominated 95 per cent of the match and only lost my serve once.”
Murray now faces No.6 seed Federer, who looked back to his best as he cruised past Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3 7-5 6-4.
But in only his second tournament since back surgery, the Scot could be under-cooked after playing three of his four matches against players ranked outside the world’s top 110.
The 26-year-old said: “To be honest, I don’t know if I’ve been adequately tested or not.
“It’s tough to say but I do know I’ll need to play a great match next. If I strike the ball like I did for the first couple of sets today then I’ll give myself a chance.”
Elsewhere, No.1 seed Rafa Nadal dropped his service for the first time in the tournament before beating Kei Nishikori of Japan 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 7-6 (7-3).
The Spaniard also received a warning for slow play and needed bandages applied to a huge blister on his racquet hand.
The world No.1 will now face No.22 seed Grigor Dimitrov after the Bulgarian beat Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain 6-3 3-6 6-2 6-4.
