Pouille out-Murrays Andy to stop comeback in its tracks

Andy Murray met his court-covering match at the Cincinnati Masters as the former world number one’s comeback was stopped in the first round.

The three-time Grand Slam champion lost 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 to Lucas Pouille in his opening match of the hardcourt tournament.

Murray, returning from January hip surgery, was unable to get past the French 16th seed, hampering his preparations for the US Open starting on August 27.

Pouille played some superb tennis, highlighted by one of Murray’s best traits – incredible speed around the court.

After storming through the first set, Pouille gave the Scotsman an indication of how difficult it was going to be to fight back in the second set.

The Frenchman had Murray running all over the court in the second game of the set, before hitting an insane backhand passing shot to claim one of the rallies of the match.

Murray’s trademark determination saw him level the match after taking the second set but the energy he expended to do so had clearly taken its toll.

Playing as a wildcard at an event he won in 2008 and 2011, Murray saved a match point in the penultimate game on his serve and another moments later when Pouille was serving for the win.

But the Frenchman, who produced 40 winners to just 15 from Murray, closed it out at the third attempt.

Murray last played 11 days ago in a Washington third-round match which took him three hours to win and ended at 3 a.m.

The 31-year-old two-time Wimbledon winner is working his way back slowly and felt he could not subject his body to a quarter-final just over 12 hours later, prompting him to withdraw from that event.

Pouille had lost his previous three matches to Murray, the last at Dubai in 2017.

Spanish 13th seed Pablo Carreno Busta started his week with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 defeat of France’s Richard Gasquet, while Japan’s Kei Nishikori put out Russian Andrey Rublev, 7-5, 6-3.

Peter Gojowczyk of Germany defeated Joao Sousa 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, while Canada’s Denis Shapovalov won a thriller, 7-6, 3-6, 7-5 against American Frances Tiafoe.

With AFP