(Tennis news) Andy Murray crashed out of the first round of the Monte Carlo Masters, losing 6-1 6-3 to Alex De Minaur. The Scottish player was featuring in his first tournament in Monaco since 2017 but was far from his best, losing the first set in just 35 minutes in what is his least favourite playing surface.
Murray got into a debate with umpire Carlos Bernardes early in the second set when his hat fell during the play but the umpire didn’t stop the game. This forced the Briton to lose his composure and committed a number of unforced errors. Murray went on to commit 26 unforced errors compared to eight from De Minaur and the 14th seeded Australian will now take on Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff in the second round.
In other results, Cameron Norrie was also eliminated from the opening round after being defeated in straight sets to Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo 6-3 6-4. Cerundolo made a fast start to the match but Norrie managed to make a comeback, despite looking unsettled and making 18 unforced errors and only eight winners. The Argentinian got a crucial game in the ninth game of the second set because of a netted forehand to apply pressure on the British number 1.
Norrie is currently ranked 13th and had a fantastic start to the season, getting 21 wins from 25 matches but will need to rediscover his confidence for the clay court season. However, his countryman Jack Draper managed to defeat Argentinian Sebastian Baez 6-3 7-5. The 21 year old ranked 56th saved 11 of the 12 breakpoints and will now take on Hubert Hurkacz in the second round.
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