Murray returns to court after stressful two days

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Andy Murray will be looking to put a stressful two days behind him when he faces Bernard Tomic, the last home hope in the men’s draw, in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Monday.

Murray’s father-in-law Nigel Sears, the coach of Ana Ivanovic, was taken to hospital on Saturday after collapsing in the stands during the Serb’s match on Rod Laver Arena.

The Scot rushed to Sears’ side after he beat Joao Sousa but with the 58-year-old released from hospital on Sunday, Murray was able to turn his attention to Tomic, who has made the fourth round at Melbourne Park for the second successive year.

China’s Zhang Shuai will follow the Murray-Tomic match on Rod Laver Arena hoping to become the first qualifier to make the quarter-finals since Mexico’s Angelica Gavaldon in 1990 when she faces 15th seeded American Madison Keys.

Twice champion Victoria Azarenka, who has shown she is more than capable of claiming her third title, will first need to beat Czech Barbora Strycova, whose third round victory over Garbine Muguruza opened up the bottom half of the women’s draw.

The winner of the all-German clash between seventh seed Angelique Kerber and Annika Beck, who open the day’s play on Rod Laver Arena, will await either Azarenka or Strycova in the last eight.

Swiss Stan Wawrinka, the 2014 champion, faces a tough task in hard-hitting Canadian Milos Raonic in the last match during the day session on the main showcourt.

Britain’s Johanna Konta, back in the country of her birth, will face last year’s semi-finalist Ekaterina Makarova on Margaret Court Arena after Gael Monfils’ clash with Russia’s Andrey Kuznetsov.

Towering American John Isner, who has fired a tournament-leading 101 aces, will provide the fireworks against one of the game’s best retrievers, eighth-seed David Ferrer, in the only singles match on Hisense Arena.

(By Greg Stutchbury, Editing by Patrick Johnston)