- Written by Jonathan Jureiko
- bbc sports
image source, Getty Images
It's the third time Andy Murray has lost to a teenage opponent since 2007.
Britain's Andy Murray was unable to back up his first win of 2024 after losing to 18-year-old Jakub Mensik in a rollercoaster Qatar Open match.
The 36-year-old Murray ended a six-game losing streak by defeating Alexander Muller on Tuesday, but 24 hours later he defeated 116th-ranked Mensik, 7-6 (8-6), 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (7). -4) lost. .
Trailing 5-2 in the decider, the Scotsman clawed back both breaks as his Czech opponent failed to serve out.
However, Mensik mentally reset and won, advancing to the ATP quarterfinals for the first time in his career.
“Right now I'm speechless, I don't know what to say,” said Mensik, who will face Russian top seed Andrei Rublev or French veteran Richard Gasquet on Thursday.
“It was a tough game… [Murray] He's a great player and I watched him win Wimbledon twice on TV. It's incredible that at this age he can still compete with the best players in the world.”
Murray expected to fall outside of world top 60
Murray had a significant number of ranking points to defend after reaching the final in Doha last year, but losing in the second round means the former world number one will fall outside the top 60 next week. .
Murray has had a shaky start to 2024, losing the opening four games of the new season, raising questions about how long he plans to continue playing and sparking a defiant reaction from the three-time Grand Slam champion. .
Murray, who turns 37 in May, insisted he would “keep fighting”, aiming to play at the level he believes he is still “capable of”.
His first win of the year against Frenchman Muller, ranked 75th in the world, was a huge relief and a step in the right direction.
Losing to Mensik is yet another setback as he is a talented player with a strong game and a very bright future who is yet to break into the top 100 in the world. .
Murray sent off after missing volley on set point
Had Murray won the first set, as he really should have, the outcome of the match might have been different.
Leading 6-4 in the tie-break, on the first of two set points, Murray volleyed into the wide-open net, eliciting screams from the astonished crowd and the Scottish player I covered my face with my hands.
Murray continued to drop sets and was quickly caught up.
Neither player was able to break serve in a close second set, but Murray, with confident striking and a delicate touch, got off to a quick start in another tiebreaker and leveled the score.
Murray, who hadn't faced a break point since the third game of the match, dropped serve at 1-0 shortly after falling on his right ankle, allowing an increasingly confident Mensik to double break up at 5-2. I made it a success.
But Murray used his wealth of experience to fight back, just as he had blocked Mensik's serve in the first set.
Feeling nervous on the other side of the court, Murray increased the pressure with more aggressive groundstrokes, but was unable to maintain his momentum in the tiebreak as Mensik regained his composure and took a memorable victory.
Murray's frustration was evident as he suddenly withdrew after a tense match that lasted three hours and 23 minutes, the longest match in Qatar Open history.
