Australian Open 2022 day four: Andy Murray v Taro Daniel, Kyrgios and Raducanu on court later – live!

The players change over… which gives me time to remind you that the Women’s Ashes begins today, more specifically in about half an hour. If cricket’s your thing, you can join my colleague Tanya Aldred for every ball of the first T20 of the series:

First set: *Murray 4-6 Daniel (*denotes next server) Daniel is very impressive once more as he secures the first set! At 30-0 he advances to the net to finish off in clinical fashion and bring up three set points… he needs just one of them, an ace sealing the deal. High quality tennis from the world No 120, and Murray will have to come from behind if he is to progress.

First set: Murray 4-5 Daniel* (*denotes next server) Murray hangs onto Daniel’s coattails with a hold. But the Japanese will now serve for the opening set.

Meanwhile, bored of the Djokovic saga? Strap yourselves in…

First set: *Murray 3-5 Daniel (*denotes next server) Another two break points fall Murray’s way, but he can’t convert this time as Daniel rallies, firing a forehand winner before Murray returns into the net. The Japanese has 1o winners to his name so far.

First set: Murray 3-4 Daniel* (*denotes next server) A perfectly-executed drop shot from Daniel puts him 30-15 up on Murray’s serve. The Scot then finds the net with a regulation forehand – and he’s apoplectic about the mistake and the position it puts him in. Break point for Daniel… and a double fault at this stage certainly doesn’t help Murray’s mood. The Japanese breaks through again!

First set: *Murray 3-3 Daniel (*denotes next server) Murray has a chance to break back but he squanders it with a weak volley with an open court at his mercy. Daniel gets there and saves the break – Murray should have finished that off, no question. He gets another chance soon enough though, and this time he takes it, a lovely sliced backhand setting it up. We’re back on serve in the first!

First set: Murray 2-3 Daniel* (*denotes next server) Of course Murray was involved in an epic opener on Tuesday – five sets of high drama against Nikoloz Basilashvili. How much will that encounter impact him today? We’ll find out soon enough, but for now he holds, to love, without expending too much energy.

First set: *Murray 1-3 Daniel (*denotes next server) Murray’s off with a few of groundstrokes here as Daniel consolidates his break and opens up a two-game lead early on in this first set.

First set: Murray 1-2 Daniel* (*denotes next server) An epic game that lasts nearly 14 minutes! Murray gets funky at the outset with a drop shot – Daniel reaches it, but his ball in out at the baseline, before the Japanese pulls out a sensational backhand to force deuce. Some of his shotmaking so far has been very impressive. Murray then faces break point but saves it with an unreturnable serve before the Scot shows he’s capable of making some nice shots too, with a couple of forehand winners including one down the line on the fourth deuce of the game. The game continues to swing back and forth, Murray is forced to save a second break point, Daniel accidentally smashes the ball into the umpire in her chair, we go to more deuces and when a third break chance comes along, Daniel pounces!

First set: *Murray 1-1 Daniel (*denotes next server) And a comfortable start for Daniel on his serve. He holds to love.

First set: Murray 1-0 Daniel* (*denotes next server) Off we go then, with the sun squeezed out beyond the tramlines at this time of day on Rod Laver. Murray holds his first service game, although Daniel gives an indication of what’s he’s capable of at 0-40 down with a ferocious forehand winner. No dramas for Murray though.

Oh dear, the first “siuuus” heard, and we haven’t even started yet.

In-form 12th seed Elena Rybakina was forced to retire from her match against China’s Zhang Shuai due to injury. The Kazakh player was trailing 6-4, 1-0 when she had to throw in the towel, and that early finish is why we are about to welcome Murray and Daniel onto John Cain Arena on time. That match about to start shortly, with the players just being introduced onto court (Murray gets a huge cheers from what looks like a decent crowd – pretty near to the 50% capacity by my reckoning).

And while we’re on the subject of local hopes, Alex De Minaur is safely into the third round, posting a comfortable 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 win over Kamil Majchrzak on Rod Laver Arena. De Minaur next plays Pablo Andújar.

“I know Pablo very well,” De Minaur said. “I’ve hit a lot with him. You know, he’s a terrific competitor. He’s had some amazing wins. So, it’s a great position for me to be in. Look, I’m just enjoying it every second of it. Keeping the positive vibes going and hopefully…”

De Minaur said his plans for this evening involve Nick Kyrgios.

“Of course I’m tuning in! I’m pretty sure all of Australia is tuning in! It is going to be a hell of a match. Expect, you know, showtime from Nick. Expect one of the most solid guys on tour with Daniil. It will be a popcorn match. I’m definitely not going to miss it.”

Also earlier today, local favourite Sam Stosur’s singles career finally came to an end with defeat to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The former US Open champion lost 6-2, 6-2 but was showered with tributes after the match.

She bows out as a true great of Australian tennis, writes my colleague Emma Kemp:

Briefly, the tale of the tape so far on day four of the 2022 Australian Open (courtesy of Reuters):

• Third seed Garbine Muguruza, a runner-up at Melbourne Park two years ago, suffered a shock 6-3, 6-3 defeat at the hands of French veteran Alize Cornet.
  “Today, I stepped on the court thinking I’d have fun. That’s the best way I play. There was a lack of fun sometimes in my 16-year career. But right now I want to enjoy it,” Cornet said.
  “I don’t know how many years I have left. Today was a perfect gift.”
  Joining Muguruza in making an early exit was sixth seed Anett Kontaveit, who lost 6-2 6-4 to 19-year-old Clara Tauson – the girls’ singles champion at Melbourne Park in 2019.
• Former French Open champion Iga Swiatek booked her place in the third round, the seventh seed advancing with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson.
• Britain’s Dan Evans, the number 24 seed, moved through to the next round after his opponent, Arthur Rinderknech, pulled out with a wrist injury.
• Last year’s quarter-finalist Andrey Rublev made short work of Ricardas Berankis with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-0 win over the unseeded Lithuanian to reach the third round for the fourth time. The Russian fifth seed next meets Marin Cilic who beat Norbert Gombos 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(6).
• Diego Schwartzman, seeded 13th, fell to a 7-6(6) 6-4 6-4 defeat against world number 175 Christopher O’Connell, while Maxime Cressy outclassed Tomas Machac 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(5) to reach the third round of a major for the first time.
• Second see Aryna Sabalenka surrendered the opening set, like she did in her opener, before outclassing China’s Wang Xinyu 1-6 6-4 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena to reach the third round.
• Local wildcard Maddison Inglis followed up her victory over US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez with a 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-2 win over American qualifier Hailey Baptiste.
• Daria Kasatkina eased past Magda Linette 6-2 6-3 to set up a third-round clash with seventh seed Iga Swiatek. Kasatkina has beaten the former French Open champion in three sets when they faced off for the first time in Eastbourne last year.