Gilles Muller has moved into the third round of the Australian Open thanks to a 7-6 1-6 7-5 6-1 over 13th seed Roberto Bautista-Agut.
© Getty Images
Both players were dominant on serve throughout the opening set, and after 12 games passed without a break point, a tie-break was required on Court 19.
Muller quickly raced into a 6-0 lead, and despite losing the next five points, he held his nerve at the crucial stage to secure the opener.
Bautista-Agut hit back impressively in the second set after finding his rhythm on serve, and Muller appeared to have no answer as the Spaniard stormed back to level terms with two breaks.
Both players adopted a more aggressive approach after the second set, but chances were regularly wasted as a number of break points were saved at both ends of the court.
© AFP
At 6-5 to Muller the third set looked to be heading to a tie-break until the 31-year-old from Luxembourg converted the first set point to regain the advantage.
Muller saved two break-point opportunities early in the fourth, and his resilience was quickly rewarded as Bautista-Agut crumbled to lose his serve twice.
There would be no late response from the 13th seed as Muller comfortably served out to move into the tournament's third round for just the second time in his career.
Callum Mulvihill
