Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu crash out of Australian Open

Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu have both crashed out of the Australian Open, putting British hopes of success in Melbourne in serious doubt.

Murray was defeated in the second round of the tournament, by the lowest-ranked player he has ever lost to at a grand slam.

Taro Daniel, ranked 120th in the world, beat the tennis star in straight sets to go through to the third round.

“I’m really, really disappointed,” said Murray.

“Very frustrated. A tough loss for me that’s for sure,” he added.

The 34-year-old questioned whether he would be back at the Australian Open next year, saying he would like to be “but not if I do what I did tonight too often this season.”

“This is a really important year for me for a number of reasons and I want to perform well in the big events.”

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“Making second rounds of slams is not something I find particularly motivating. I want to be doing better than that. It depends on how I get on this year results wise and how I perform in the big events,” he added.

The two-time Wimbledon champion had never lost to a player ranked outside the top 100 at a grand slam event before.

His 6-4 6-4 6-4 defeat to Daniel ended hopes he could repeat his former successes after being held back by injuries in recent years.

Murray received a warning for slamming his racket against the court, as his frustration seemed to take its toll during the match.

Raducanu out in injury drama

There were high hopes for Emma Raducanu when she arrived in Melbourne after her historic victory at the US Open last year.

But, the 19-year-old’s Australian Open debut ended in a painful defeat when she was forced into a medical time-out after five games.

The teenager seemed to be struggling with blisters on her right hand, wincing in pain at times during her match against Montenegrin Danka Kovinic.

Despite the pain she was in, she took a set off her opponent – ranked 98 in the world – in the end losing 4-6 6-4 3-6.

Raducanu said: “I thought it was a pretty good learning experience for me. I can take some positives even from this match.

“I was struggling with my hand before the match. There were some people in my team that maybe didn’t want me to play, but I wanted to go out there and fight through it.”

The teenager’s defeat was the first time she has lost a completed match at a grand slam, having got through the US Open in September without losing a set and pulling out of Wimbledon with breathing difficulties in July last year.

Evans through but Watson’s journey ends

British men’s number two Dan Evans was given a free passage through to the third round of the men’s singles when his opponent withdrew.

He was due to take on Arthur Rinderknech, but reached the last 32 automatically when his French opponent suffered a wrist injury.

He will play again on Saturday.

Meanwhile, British women’s number two Heather Watson was defeated in a tight match against Slovenian Tamara Zidansek.

“I was happy with my effort and my fight and my focus,” she said, after going down 6-7 4-6.

The tournament has faced increased scrutiny this year as champion Novak Djokovic was deported by authorities after his visa was cancelled.

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