Novak Djokovic opens up two-set lead over Andy Murray in gruelling final - follow live!

Murray, chasing his third Grand Slam title in his fifth Australian Open final, had a break point in the opening service game of the match on Rod Laver Arena but Djokovic secured the hold and the world number two was made to pay for his missed opportunity.

Having been broken in the first service game of his semi-final against Milos Raonic, Murray unfortunately repeated the trick with a double fault handing Djokovic an early advantage, and it was one the Serb was enthusiastic to press home.

Djokovic did not have to reach the supreme level he showed in blowing Roger Federer away in the first two sets of his own semi-final, but a compliant Murray was offering too little resistance, a series of forehand errors helping Djokovic open up a 4-0 lead with a second break.

There were long faces in the Murray box, but, belatedly, the Scot managed to string together some more impressive shot sequences to gain a foothold in the match at 5-1, and prevent becoming the first man since 1953 to be bagelled in the first set of the Australian Open final.

A minor shift in momentum could be sensed when Murray took Djokovic to deuce as he served for the first set, but it was clinched, 6-1, in half an hour. The brutal news for the Scot was that he had never beaten his big rival after losing the first set.

A hold to start the second helped to quell Murray’s nerves further and another crucial hold followed at 1-1. Murray clung on for 12 minutes against the Djokovic assault, saving four break points, before some big serving dug him out of a hole.

The Scot applied some pressure to the Djokovic serve, not firing at full strength, at 3-2 in the second set but errors crept back into his game to hand his opponent a reprieve. And he was punished, again, when Djokovic broke to open up a 4-3 lead.

But Murray showed resolve, breaking back immediately to electrify the crowd and winning the game when a Djokovic appeal failed following a scorching Murray winner which kept the line. Murray then held under extreme pressure, saving more break points, to go 5-4 up in a gruelling second set.

Murray had chances to put Djokovic under extreme pressure but his shots were deserting him just when he needed them and Djokovic raised his game at just the right time to break again for a 6-5 lead and then serve out the set, putting him within touching distance of his 11th Grand Slam title.