After four hours in the sweltering heat that left both men bathed in sweat,the fifth set began with Tsitsipas grabbing the early break while Murray complained with courtside officials about Tsitsipas spending too much time in the bathroom.
A fired up Tsitsipas would continue to apply the pressure but the one break was all that would be needed.
While Murray may have lost a step,his warrior spirit remains intact as he provided the young Greek with a tennis master class in the first set.
After Tsitsipas held serve to open the match Murray stormed through the next five games.
With fans back in Arthur Ashe Stadium after it stood empty last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic,the massive arena bubbled with energy that Murray tapped into using the support to full advantage.
Tsitsipas meanwhile was using the rules to his advantage,leaving Murray accusing the Greek of cheating by taking bathroom breaks,medical timeouts and changing racquets in an attempt to unsettle him.
If that was Tsitsipas’ plan it worked,particularly in the crucial fifth set,as a distracted Murray angrily offered his opinion to the chair umpire,courtside officials and anyone else in ear shot.
“I think he’s a brilliant player. I think he’s great for the game but I have zero time for that stuff at all,” said Murray. “I lost respect for him.”
Australian John Millman was an early first-round casualty,bundled out by Swiss qualifier Henri Laaksonen 7-6 (8-6),7-6 (7-2),6-1.
Millman was later followed by James Duckworth,who was two sets up against Pedro Martinez of Spain before surrendering the third in a tie-breaker despite having five match points. He eventually lost 4-6,4-6,7-6 (9-7),6-2,6-2. Alexei Popyrin bucked the trend,however,beating Moldova’s Radu Albot in four sets.
The trio were among five Australians in action on day one,with Nick Kyrgios playing later on Tuesday morning (AEST). Qualifier Astra Sharma proved no match for French Open champion and eighth seed Barbora Krejcikova,falling 6-0,6-4.
Elsewhere in the women’s draw,Spanish ninth seed Garbine Muguruza held off a second-set fightback from Croatia’s Donna Vekic to secure a 7-6 (7-4),7-6 (7-5) win in just over two hours.
Naomi Osaka made a winning return to grand slam tennis,pulling away to beat Marie Bouzkova 6-4,6-1. The defending champion skipped Wimbledon last month after pulling out of the French Open following her first-round clash for mental health reasons.
Former world No.1 Simona Halep,of Romania,also won through to the second round,winning a tough opener against Italian Camila Giorgi to claim an impressive 6-4,7-6 (7-3) win and set up a second-round meeting with Slovakia’s Kristina Kucova.
Halep missed the French Open and Wimbledon – the two majors she has won – with a left calf injury.
Former champion Sloane Stephens overcame best friend Madison Keys’ aggressive play to secure a 6-3,1-6,7-6 (9-7) win.
The 2017 winner quickly took control of the first set on Arthur Ashe Stadium,putting up a strong defensive performance to fend off three break points as Keys committed 15 unforced errors.
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But Keys roared back in the second,winning all of her first-serve points and fired off 11 winners compared to just three from Stephens,who struggled to find her power.
After trading breaks in the third set,they headed into a tiebreak,where Keys’ unforced errors proved to be her undoing.
Having fended off two match points,she shouted in frustration as she whacked the ball into the net to set up a third.
Reuters,AP