Watch: Frustrated Thanasi Kokkinakis flings his racquet in anger after Andy Murray pulls off multiple consecutive impossible gets at Australian Open

Thanasi Kokkinakis was left bemused as Andy Murray produced a series of near-impossible retrievals in their second-round thriller at the Australian Open on Thursday (January 19).

In what is turning out to be an instant classic on Margaret Court Arena, Kokkinakis took a commanding two-set lead, including a tight second set on a tiebreak. Five-time runner-up Murray, though, was far from ready to throw in the towel, trailing by two sets and a break.

With Kokkinakis serving for a 6-4, 7-6(4), 3-0 lead, the Australian had four slices of the cherry to win the 40-Ad point at the net. He had pushed the Scot out wide to either flank. However, Murray somehow stayed in the point, making a series of retrievals. He then produced an outstanding defensive lob, which sent Kokkinakis scurrying to the baseline.

Two shots later, the 14-shot rally ended with Kokkinakis netting a crosscourt forehand. He slammed his racquet to the court in disgust as Murray soaked in the applause.

Here's the video of Murray's incredible defense on show on Margaret Court Arena:

Murray is looking to reach the third round at the Australian Open for the first time in six years since making the fourth round in 2017. On Tuesday, the five-time finalist (2010-11, 2013, 2015-16) brought up his 50th win at the first Grand Slam of the year. He saved a match point to beat Matteo Berrettini in the fifth-set super tiebreak.

Meanwhile, Murray-Kokkinakis' second-round clash has now moved into a decider after the Scot took the third set on a tiebreak and the fourth 6-3.

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"I felt very proud of myself after the match" - Andy Murray after beating Matteo Berrettini in first round

Andy Murray at the 2023 Australian Open - Day 4

Andy Murray, a three-time Grand Slam winner, is currently 66th in the world following a potentially career-ending hip surgery in 2019.

The 35-year-old, to his credit, is still playing, but not at the level he used to. The Scot hasn't reached the second week at a Grand Slam in nine attempts since reaching the 2017 Wimbledon quarterfinals.

However, on Tuesday, Murray rolled back the years, beating Berrettini in a thriller after squandering a two-set lead. It was his first win against a top-20 opponent at a Grand Slam since 2017 Wimbledon.

An understandably ecstatic Murray said after the win over Berrettini:

"The last few years, I've certainly questioned myself at times. There's certainly a lot of people (who) questioned me and my ability, whether I could still perform at the biggest events and the biggest matches. I felt very proud of myself after the match. That's not something that I generally felt over the years at the end of tennis matches."

Meanwhile, Andy Murray is looking to extend his 1-0 head-to-head record against Kokkinakis, having conceded just six games in their lone meeting in 2015.