April 27, (THEWILL) – Andy Murray’s hopes of winning the Madrid Open for a third time were dashed on Monday, as he was knocked out of the tournament by world number 164, Andrea Vavassori.
Murray had been uncertain about continuing his clay court season following a “demoralising” defeat to Alex De Minaur at the Monte Carlo Masters. The former world number one was off to a bad start in the match, finding himself 4-0 down in the first set in just over 15 minutes. Although Murray managed to hold two service games, Vavassori was dominant and secured the first set.
Despite a determined effort to come back in the second set, Murray struggled with Vavassori’s big serve and failed to convert openings to exploit his opponent’s mistakes. Although he managed to take the second set to a tiebreak, Murray ultimately lost the match, conceding defeat to Vavassori 6-2 7-6(7).
Vavassori will now face Daniil Medvedev in the second round. Murray, who has twice been champion in Madrid, will be disappointed with the result and may now have to reassess his plans for the rest of the season.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
