Murray’s road back hits hurdle; Serena advances with easy win
CINCINNATI: Andy Murray’s comeback following hip surgery hit another roadblock on Monday after he was beaten 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 by France’s Lucas Pouille in the first round of the Cincinnati Open.
The Scot went under the knife in January but has had a frustrating time since he came back to the ATP circuit in June.
The former world No 1 had hoped to build on the momentum that had carried him into the quarter-finals of the Citi Open before he pulled out of the Washington tournament citing fatigue.
But it was Pouille, world No 17, who proved to be the more resourceful as he claimed his first win in five tries against Murray.
Murray, whose ranking plummeted into the 800s last month but has now risen to 375, has now fallen at the first hurdle in two of the four tournaments he has contested this year.
World No 2 Roger Federer is now the highest seed in Cincinnati.
SERENA CRUISES
Serena Williams re-established her customary superiority, hammering Daria Gavrilova 6-1, 6-2 to reach the second round of the Cincinnati Masters.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion showed full recovery in her first match since suffering the worst defeat of her career two weeks ago in San Jose when she was crushed 6-1, 6-0 in 51 minutes by British No. 1 Johanna Konta.
But the 36-year-old was all business Monday as she cleaned up on Australian Gavrilova.
“I’m feeling pretty good. It’s never easy, no matter what the scoreline says,” Williams said.