Andy Murray’s US Open preparation receive a blow after losing early in Cincinnati – Tennis News
Andy Murray, who became the Olympics Gold Medallist by beating Roger Federer in the final of London Games almost three weeks back, was knocked out at the last 16-stage of Western & Southern Open on Thursday. Murray was being considered
the hot favourite to win the last Grand Slam of the season but now he is back on his previous position.
Lucky loser, Jeremy Chardy, reached the quarter-finals of an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event for the second time in his career by upsetting the third seed, Murray, in the third round at Cincinnati. It took the Frenchman only
an hour and 38 minutes to undo his higher ranked rival.
Chardy and Murray went on equal terms in the first six games and took the score to 3-3. The French player managed to breakthrough in the seventh and held his following serve to capture a 5-3 lead. Chardy did not allow the British
number one to stage a comeback, finishing it off 6-4.
The French contender smacked two aces and committed one double fault in the first set, putting in 64 percent of the first serves and pocketing 18 of the 23 points on them. The Liege, Belgium resident gave a lacklustre performance
on the second deliveries and returns, as he won just six of the 13 and one of the seven points on them respectively.
Chardy and Murray failed to make a stable start in the second set, as first five serves were broken. The Frenchman hit a blow to his British opponent in the first game to go up 1-0 but Murray hit back immediately to level the score
at 1-1. Chardy struck again in the third to move ahead 2-1 but just like the previous occasion, Murray broke back to even out the proceedings at 2-2. However, the French contestant was in no mood to throw away the opportunity, as he nailed another breakthrough
in the fifth and this time he capitalised on it to win 6-4.
The British number one said, "Sometimes a few games can change matches. I had break points in the first set. If I had maybe gone up there, maybe I would have started to play better. But when I went behind, he started serving better
and he was going for his shots."
He added that this loss would not put a major effect on his preparation for the US Open. Murray stated, "It doesn't normally have that much bearing [before Grand Slams]. But obviously I would have liked to have done a bit better
this week."
Chardy is pitted against the sixth seed, Juan Martin Del Potro, in the quarter-finals.
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