Andy Murray out of Australian Open after straight-sets defeat to qualifier Taro Daniel

Five-time finalist Andy Murray was beaten in straight sets by Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel at the Australian Open on Thursday. Hopes were high that Murray could have another strong run in Melbourne when he battled to a five-set win over Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round.

But, back on John Cain Arena, the feeling was very different this time as Murray, 34, struggled for sharpness against a tenacious and mobile opponent and fell to a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 defeat.

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It was a desperately disappointing end for the Briton who struggled for sharpness against the world No 120 — the lowest-ranked opponent ever to beat Murray at a major. “Winning a big match like this is unbelievable,” said Daniel. “It was an amazing level from me. I got a bit nervous in the third set. I tried not to make too big a deal of this match, playing Andy Murray. “Even if it was against me, I was trying to feel the energy [in the crowd]. I felt goosebumps, it was amazing.”

Daniel, 28, had won just five games over three sets in their only previous meeting in the Davis Cup in 2016 but Murray, whose heavy workload also included reaching the final of the ATP Tour event in Sydney at the weekend, began sluggishly and was unable to turn the tide in his favour.

He had never lost to a player ranked outside the top 100 at a Grand Slam, with then world No 191 Arnaud Clement the previous lowest, in the second round of the US Open back in 2005.

World No 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas ground out a 7-6, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Grand Slam debutant Sebastian Baez in a battle of two former junior world No 1 players. Tsitsipas — a two-time Australian Open semi-finalist — said his 21-year-old opponent from Argentina had made him work. “It wasn't easy. I'm glad I overcame that obstacle today,” said the Greek. “Lot's of fighting, a little bit of swearing, but glad to be in the third round.” Tsitsipas will now face Benoit Paire of France who knocked out 26th-seeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 7-6.

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. The Russian fifth seed next meets Croatia's Marin Cilic, who beat Norbert Gombos 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6.

Canadian Ninth seed Felix Auger Aliassime defeated Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6, 6-7, 7-6, 7-6 to set up a third-round tie with Briton Dan Evans, who received a walkover after Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech withdrew with a wrist injury. Argentina's Diego Schwartzman, seeded 13th, fell to a 7-6, 6-4, 6-4 defeat against world No 175 Australian wild-card Christopher O'Connell.

Australian prospect Alex de Minaur, 22, made it through in front of the Rod Laver Arena crowd with a comfortable 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win over Poland's Kamil Majchrzak. Taylor Fritz won an all-American clash with Frances Tiafoe 6-4, 6-3, 7-6, and will now take on Spanish 16th seed Roberto Bautista Agut, who beat Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-1, 6-0, 6-3.