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World of Sport

23rd Jan 2015

Roger Federer exits Australian Open to unseeded Italian

Andreas Seppi beats the former champion

Kevin McGillicuddy

You have to go back all the way to 2000 to find out when Federer was last beaten this early.

The 17 time Grand Slam champion won’t have to worry about the incredible heat down under anymore as his time at the Australian Open has been brought to a shuddering halt this morning.

He’s lost out to the unseeded Italian Andreas Seppi 4-6 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-7 (5-7), who recorded a first win over the Swiss in 11 attempts. Federer never looked any way comformable in the early stages and lost the opening two sets before striking back to claim the third.

However he again struggled in the fourth and Seppi took his chance to record a famous win. Seppi will now play Malek Jaziri or Nick Kyrgios in the last 16 and to be fair his match winner was worthy of knocking out the four-time champion

Elsewhere Andy Murray is safely through after a mixed performance against  Joao Sousa of Portugal..

He won in straight sets, 6-1 6-1 7-5,  and will now meet Grigor Dimitrov in the next round.