Murray finds Dev-astating Dan too hot
ANDY MURRAY talked of his pride at reaching another final despite going down in two sets to Russian ace Daniil Medvedev at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.
The Scot paid the price for slow starts in both sets to lose 6-4 6-4 in Doha.
It means Medvedev maintains his impressive recent form to lift the trophy on his debut appearance at the tournament.
Murray, 35, was looking to claim his first ATP Tour title since 2019.
But he still reflected favourably on his work in the desert, despite the final not going his way.
He said: “It was an incredible week but obviously it didn’t finish the way I wanted.
“I had some amazing matches and it was great to be back in a final.
“Daniil is one of my favourite players to watch and one of the best players on the tour.
“It’s great for me to get that opportunity to play somebody on that level.
“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.”
Third seed Medvedev
(inset) came out of the blocks fast and opened up a 4-1 lead in the first set.
Murray fought hard to break back but couldn’t take control as the second set followed a similar pattern.
Medvedev said: “It was a tough match. It was a little bit windy today so both of us were struggling to find our rhythm. Today was a big fight for both of us.
“Sometimes we were playing bad then suddenly both of us were playing amazing and I’m happy to win.”
The 27-year-old is now up to No.7 in the world, leapfrogging Rafael Nadal, and becomes the first player to win back-toback titles this year.
He also triumphed in Rotterdam last weekend and his winning streak is now nine matches.
Medvedev added: “I managed to find momentum in Rotterdam.
“The first two matches I played there were tough.
“I didn’t feel good before that tournament and then starting in the quarter-finals against Felix Auger-Aliassime, I began to find my rhythm.
“I started to play really good – serve better, move better.
“Today it was tough for Andy to put the balls through me many times and now the question is if it can continue. I’m going to try as long as I can.” Murray, a wildcard entry into the tournament, had won all four of his previous matches this week in three sets. He saved five match points in a draining semi-final against Jiri Lehecka.
The Scot is flirting again with the top 50 as he continues his mission to break back into the top 32.
He now moves straight on to Dubai for a tricky first-round clash with Hubert Hurkacz of Poland.