Australian Open 2017: Schedule, Predictions for Monday Melbourne Bracket

Andy Murray seemed to be in a strong position to cement his status as the top player in the world. Second-seeded Novak Djokovic had already lost, which meant Murray was not going to have to go overcome that major obstacle as he attempted to win the Australian Open.

That appeared to lift a huge burden from the No. 1 seed's shoulders, but he was unable to take advantage Sunday, losing 7-5, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 to unseeded Mischa Zverev in the fourth round.

Zverev has been hounded by injuries and inconsistency throughout his career, but the 29-year-old German attacked Murray by coming to the net nearly every chance he had in the match and dictated the pace throughout. 

The victory by Zverev was not only shocking to those in attendance, but it appeared to take the winner by surprise as well.

"Honestly, I don't know," he told the crowd during an on-court interview (h/t Greg Garber of ESPN.com). "I was in a little coma, serving and volleying. There were a few points that I don't know how I did it."

Murray was disappointed with letting the opportunity to advance in the tournament slip through his grasp.

"Obviously, it's a tough one to lose," Murray said. "Obviously, I wanted to go far in this event. It's the earliest I've lost here for, I don't know, a long time, so I'm disappointed right now. Credit to him. He came up with great, great shots and played a really, really good match."

Player	Player	Time (ET)	Prediction
Dominic Thiem (8)	David Goffin (11)	9 p.m.	Thiem
Barbora Strycova (16)	Serena Williams (2)	7 p.m.	Williams
Ekaterina Makarova (30)	Johanna Konta (9)	9 p.m.	Konta
Jennifer Brady	Mirjana Lucic-Baroni	11 p.m.	Brady
Grigor Dimitrov (15)	Denis Istomin	1 a.m.	Istomin
Roberto Bautista Agut (13)	Milos Raonic (3)	2 a.m.	Raonic
Gael Monfils (6)	Rafael Nadal (9)	5 a.m.	Monfils
Karolina Pliskova (5)	Daria Gavrilova (22)	3 a.m.	Pliskova

Since Murray and Djokovic have already lost in the Australian Open, the men's side of the tournament is wide open.

The highest-seeded players remaining are No. 3 Milos Raonic and No. 4 Stan Wawrinka.

However, Roger Federer is lurking as the No. 17 seed. He defeated Kei Nishikori in five sets Sunday, and he may sense an opportunity to win the championship even though it is his first tournament since sitting out the last six months in 2016 after knee surgery.

On the women's side, No. 1 seed Angelique Kerber lost her fourth-round match to unseeded American Coco Vandeweghe 6-2, 6-3.

Kerber, the defending champion, became the first No. 1 seed to lose to an unseeded player since Maria Sharapova fell in a similar situation in 2007.

Vandeweghe had never played past the third round in the Australian Open, but she used her outstanding power to take charge in the match.

"I think it's my first win over a world No. 1, I guess. I'll take it," Vandeweghe said after the match, per Garber. "I faked it a lot, because I was feeling a bit crappy out there. You have to fake it until you make it. I just had to pick my spots and trust my game."

Andy Brownbill/Associated Press

The loss by Kerber opens the door for Serena Williams to regain the top ranking on the women's side. She has a fourth-round match Monday (Sunday night in the United States) against 16th-seeded Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic at Rod Laver Arena.

Unseeded American Jennifer Brady also returns to action against Croatian Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, and the 21-year-old from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, has been sharp in defeating her first three opponents, including 14th-seeded Elena Vesnina.

Fifth-seeded Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic is also competing against 22nd-seeded Daria Gavrilova.

On the men's side, Raonic will try to uphold the honor of the top seeds when he faces Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain. Gilles Simon pushed Raonic hard in his last match after the third seed had recorded straight-set victories in the first two rounds.

The most competitive match of the day may take place between sixth-seeded Gael Monfils of France and Rafael Nadal of Spain. These are two of the most athletic and creative players in the game, and they should put on an entertaining duel.