MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) – Andy Murray may have to wait awhile before he’s picked again to win a Grand Slam tournament.

Touted by British bookmakers as a favorite at the Australian Open, Murray lost to No. 14 Fernando Verdasco of Spain in five sets Monday in the fourth round. He twice blew a one-set lead and missed chances to break serve in the pivotal sixth game of the deciding set. He then dropped serve in the subsequent game and was beaten 2-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.

All of which was a big letdown for Murray, who defeated No. 1 Rafael Nadal and No. 2 Roger Federer in an exhibition in Abu Dhabi this month leading to the season’s first major.

“I don’t know if I’ll be the favorite for a Slam in the next year or so after today,” he said.

Murray went out in the first round last year, the initial victim of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s surprising charge to the Australian Open final. The 21-year-old Scot’s biggest aim is to end Britain’s run of 73 years without a winner of a men’s major.

“I’ll try and learn from it … come back a better player,” said Murray, who finished last season with five titles and made a run to the U.S. Open final. “I’m thinking that last year I had a tough loss. This year obviously is a tough loss, as well. I came back stronger last year.”

Nadal had a far easier time, downing 2007 runner-up Fernando Gonzalez of Chile 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. He has yet to drop a set ahead of his quarterfinal against sixth-seeded Gilles Simon.

Verdasco will meet fifth-seeded Tsonga, a Frenchman who defeated No. 9 James Blake 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (3) in a night match interrupted by a fireworks display around the stadium to celebrate Australia Day.

Of the top eight seeded players, Murray will be the only one missing from the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park. Never in the Open era have all eight top seeds filled every spot in a Grand Slam quarterfinal lineup.

He wasn’t the only casualty Monday – Melbourne Park nearly had to establish its own emergency room.

Three matches finished early because of illness or injuries. The opener at Rod Laver Arena finished with Simon holding a 2-1 set advantage when friend and fellow Frenchman Gael Monfils decided he couldn’t continue with an injured right wrist.

In the following match on center court, Serena Williams lost the first set 6-3 to 13th-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus. Williams, annoyed with her erratic first serve, screamed at herself and drew a warning for an obscenity. The 19-year-old Azarenka woke up sick and was dizzy and in tears when she quit after going down a break at 2-4 in the second.

“The doctors didn’t want me to keep going, but I wanted to keep trying and see how I do,” Azarenka said. “But it was probably not a very good idea because it just gave me even more trouble after.”

Azarenka needed a medical timeout in the second set, but lasted only 1 more games.

Williams, who has won in Australia every alternate year since 2003, next plays Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2004 U.S. Open champion. Kuznetsova advanced when Zheng Jie retired at 4-1 after injuring her left wrist in a tumble in the third game, ending her hopes of a victory on the Chinese New Year.

Williams, who has won nine majors, and Kuznetsova are the only Grand Slam title winners remaining in the women’s draw.

Olympic champion Elena Dementieva extended her season winning streak to 14 matches with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova on Monday to reach the quarterfinals in Melbourne for the first time in 11 trips.

Zvonareva into semis

Vera Zvonareva ran off 11 straight games in a 6-3, 6-0 win over Marion Bartoli at the Australian Open on Tuesday to reach the semifinals for the first time in 25 majors.

The 24-year-old Russian’s best performance in six previous trips to Melbourne was the fourth round – she’d gone out in the first round at the Australian Open three times, including last year. And she made the quarterfinals at the 2003 French Open.

Seventh-seeded Zvonareva, who hasn’t dropped a set in five matches, rallied from an opening service break to dominate 2007 Wimbledon finalist Bartoli in the remainder of their quarterfinal.

“I’m very excited about it,” Zvonareva said. “I think it was a great day for me.”

Bartoli of France, seeded 16th, had ousted top-ranked Jelena Jankovic.

in the fourth round.

In the following match on Rod Laver Arena, defending champion Novak Djokovic was against No. 7 Andy Roddick in the first of the men’s quarterfinals.

Roger Federer, seeking a record-equaling 14th Grand Slam singles title, was against No. 8 Juan Martin del Potro in a night match.

Andy Murray may have to wait awhile before he’s picked again to win a Grand Slam tournament.

Touted by British bookmakers as a favorite at the Australian Open, Murray lost to No. 14 Fernando Verdasco of Spain in five sets Monday in the fourth round.

He twice blew a one-set lead and missed chances to break serve in the pivotal sixth game of the deciding set. He then dropped serve in the subsequent game and was beaten 2-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Nadal had a far easier time, downing 2007 runner-up Fernando Gonzalez of Chile 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. He has yet to drop a set ahead of his quarterfinal against sixth-seeded Gilles Simon.

Verdasco will meet fifth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the runner-up here last year who defeated No. 9 James Blake 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (3).

Of the top eight seeded players, Murray will be the only one missing from the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park.