Andy Murray defeated by Daniil Medvedev in Qatar Open final

Andy Murray defeated by Daniil Medvedev in Qatar Open final

Andy Murray's stellar week of competition at the Qatar Open came to a disappointing end as he lost in straight sets to Daniil Medvedev in Saturday's final.

The three-time Grand Slam winner - who had faced four three-setters en route to the showpiece match - lost 6-4 6-4 to the Russian in one hour and 46 minutes.

In typical Murray fashion, the Briton saved three break points with three winners in the opening game after falling 40-0 down, but Medvedev made no mistake on his fourth break opportunity.

Murray threatened to break back in the fourth game - missing two opportunities to do so before Medvedev broke again for a 4-1 lead, but Murray would break straight back to reduce the deficit.

However, the 35-year-old could not recover the first set, which Medvedev clinched with a love hold, and the Russian once again broke Murray's serve in the opening game of the second set.

The Russian held his two-game advantage until Murray broke back for 3-3, but a disastrous ninth game would prove fatal for Murray, who went 40-0 up before being broken for the fourth time.

Serving for the championship, third seed Medvedev double-faulted at 40-30 to bring Murray back into the contest at deuce, but he staved off a late comeback from the Brit to become the first player on the ATP Tour to win back-to-back titles in 2023, having also clinched glory in Rotterdam last week.

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