Murray blows 4-0 lead, loses at Monte Carlo

Andy Murray blew a 4-0 lead in the deciding set and lost to Albert Ramos-Vinolas 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 in the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters on Thursday.

MONACO » Andy Murray blew a 4-0 lead in the deciding set and lost to Albert Ramos-Vinolas 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 in the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters on Thursday.

Former French Open and Monte Carlo champion Stan Wawrinka followed Murray out after losing to Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay 6-4, 6-4.

Meanwhile, defending champion Rafael Nadal beat Alexander Zverev, spoiling the German’s 20th birthday, 6-1, 6-1, and two-time champion Novak Djokovic overcame a Murray-like wobble before getting past Pablo Carreno Busta 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.

Djokovic dropped five straight games from 2-0 up in the second set and had to dig deep against the gritty Spaniard, whose speed across the court saw him retrieve countless shots.

Murray, returning from a right elbow injury which sidelined him during the Miami Open and Davis Cup quarterfinals, struggled on his serve in a scrappy match lasting more than 2 ½ hours. The match featured 13 service breaks.