Andy Murray launched a sensational tirade against his own player's box in a rollercoaster first set against Aussie Bernard Tomic on Rod Laver Arena.
Murray trumped Tomic 6-4 6-4 7-5 in two and a half hours to extend his record over Australians to 19-0 but he has fired up in the first set.
Murray was furious after being broken by Tomic as he served for the first set with a 5-2 lead - only to see his opponent win the next two games.
After Tomic held serve, Murray angrily yelled at his player's box on the opposite side of the court: "Get off the phone".
It is unclear which member of his team he was yelling at.
Murray kept his cool, to serve out the first set 6-4 in 47 minutes, but his blood was boiling under the surface.
"It seems to be pretty normal (for current players), but to me it's just a waste of energy," Jim Courier said on Channel 7.
"They should have noise cancelling headphones for sure. If I'm their agent, that's easy money."
In the next game, Murray also got angry at his own shorts after a ball came loose during a point in the middle of a service game.
"Now he's angry at his shorts," Courier said.
"It's all going wrong for him, but he's still in the lead.
"He's not pleased."
Murray's wife Kim did not travel to Australia for the Open, pregnant with the couple's first child.
His Father-in-law Nigel Sears has also travelled back to the UK after a health scare on court earlier in the tournament.
"It's been a very, very tough few days," Murray said after the match.
"A lot of emotions; it's been sort of changing all the time in my head. It's been a stressful few days.
"But it's good to get through today and now I can rest up and hopefully feel more relaxed."
Murray next plays David Ferrer on Wednesday for a semi-final spot after the eighth-seeded Spaniard ousted power-serving American 10th seed John Isner 6-4 6-4 7-5 earlier on Monday.
The defeat extended Australia's title drought to 38 years since unseeded giantkiller Chris O'Neil captured the women's singles crown in Melbourne back in 1978.
Andy Murray
- Will meet Spain's David Ferrer in the quarter-finals on Wednesday
- Reached the Australian Open four times, lost each time
- Last won a grand slam title in 2013 (Wimbledon)
- news.com.au/AAP