Heroic Andy Murray threatened to defy the odds once more as he left everything on court in a gallant four set defeat to Roberto Bautista Agut at the Australian Open.
Relentless Murray was testing the limits of human endurance as he returned to the scene of his near-six hour second round marathon that finished at 4:05am on Friday.
And this lion-hearted 35-year-old with a metal hip had adoring fans on the Margaret Court Arena dreaming once again with a scarcely believable repeat of the magic that downed 13th seed Matteo Berrettini and home favourite Thanasi Kokkinakas.
But unfazed Spanish opponent Bautista Agut did not read that script, holding his nerve to deny Murray his first visit to a Grand Slam fourth round in almost six years.
The accomplished Bautista Agut, a former Wimbledon semi-finalist, is now eyeing a deep run to the latter stages in Melbourne.
Few however, will forget the brilliance Murray produced to win a second set tie-break after being crushed 6-1 in the first.
Inspired by a home crowd at Melbourne Park just 39 hours on from his five-set epic, a third daring victory Down Under looked on as Murray refused to be written off and drew level at a set apiece.
But the fresher Bautista Agut powered back to claim the final two sets with comfortable breaks of serve to run out a 6-1, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 winner in an enthralling contest lasting three and a half hours.
Murray's journey back to this level of competition has been arduous and improbable, and he received a warm standing ovation as he left the court following another monumental effort.
He gave the Aussie fans and thousands of Brits watching at home another rollercoaster ride in the latest chapter of an epic career that once appeared over.
Murray was crestfallen at Melbourne Park in the 2019 tournament when he thought a hip resurfacing operation would force him to hang up the racquet.
And regardless of this defeat, the exhilarating run in the first Grand Slam of the year, four years on from the hip surgery that no singles player has ever returned from, provides an unneeded reminder of why Murray truly belongs in the pantheon of British sporting greats.
It is unclear if we have just seen Murray's swansong at the Australian Open, but the Brit has left abiding memories once again for tennis fans - and there could be more to come.
