Andy Murray loses Qatar Open final in straight sets

Andy Murray loses Qatar Open final in straight sets to former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev as the Russian proves a step too far for the spirited Scot

• Murray was unable to produce the sort of performance that he has shown before
• All four of the Scot’s rounds in the build-up to the final had gone the distance
• He described the run as ‘an incredible week’ and said he was ‘proud’ of himself

Andy Murray finally ran out of match point miracles as he was prevented from winning the Qatar Open final by former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev.

Having added to his previous tournament tally of eight match points saved, the 35 year-old Scot rescued another before going down 6-4 6-4 in the final against the rangy Russian after a remarkable week.

In blustery conditions the exertions required to get this far seemed to catch up a little with Murray, whose four rounds before this had all gone the distance, usually deep into a dramatic third set.

For his troubles he will at least have boosted his ranking to the cusp of the top fifty, although there is still some work to do before he achieves his goal of making the 32 seeded positions at the Grand Slams.

Not that there is any time to rest, as Murray will move straight on to the Dubai Championships, where he has a tough first round against Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz.

Andy Murray lost in the Qatar Open final after an impressive run in the tournament

He went down 6-4 6-4 to former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev (left)

Murray explained he was ‘proud’ of himself after what he described as ‘an incredible week’

‘It was an incredible week but obviously it didn’t finish the way I wanted,’ he said. ‘I had some amazing matches and it was great to be back in a final. There are definitely some things to work on but I’m proud of the work my team and I have put in to get back to this stage.’

As Medvedev admitted afterwards, it is never over until it’s over against Murray this year, but he finally put him away with a lob when his opponent found himself marooned at the net.

Murray – seeking his first title since 2019 – had slow starts in both sets, with his forehand not quite working the way he would have hoped. He pulled back one break of serve in the opener, and then levelled for 3-3 in the second to excite hopes of yet another comeback.

Yet Medvedev has finally rediscovered his form of 2021 after a relatively barren twelve months and, keep the ball consistently deep, broke again for 5-4 and then managed to serve it out.

British number one Cam Norrie was last night due to face Spain’s Bernabe Zapata Miralles in the semi-final of the concurrent Rio de Janeiro Open.

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