Andy Murray admits he struggled in a third-round win over Joao Sousa, having dropped his first set of the Australian Open.

Murray was twice broken in the second set on Saturday night but recovered to defeat Portugal’s Sousa, the 32nd seed, 6-2 3-6 6-2 6-2 on Margaret Court Arena.

The second seed faces the winner of the all-Australian clash between Bernard Tomic and John Millman.

Instead of discussing the prospect of facing a local in the fourth round, Murray cancelled his post-match media conference following the collapse of father-in-law Nigel Sears.

It’s unclear when Murray learned about Sears’ hospitalisation.

The Scot released a statement following his victory, completed in a tick over two-and-a-half hours.

“I struggled. At the beginning, I think he was extremely aggressive, very intense,” Murray said.

“He was getting into position to dictate a lot of points with his forehand.

“It was tricky. I didn’t feel great … didn’t feel I was in a great rhythm; wasn’t hitting the ball clean at the start.

“I just tried to keep fighting. At the end, I was actually hitting the ball well and felt better at the end. It was good to get through that one.”