A straight-set second-round misfortune to 10th seed Hubert Hurkacz has sent Andy Murray out of the Cincinnati Masters
Double cross hero Murray lost a tie-break in the main set prior to being broken late in the second by his Polish rival.
Hurkacz served out for a 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 triumph to book a spot in the last 16.
“This week was genuinely certain. I played far superior to at Wimbledon and the grass season,” said Murray, 34.
The 24-year-old Hurkacz will presently confront Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta in a bid to come to the quarter-last, as he hopes to win a fourth profession title.
Murray had facilitated past Frenchman Richard Gasquet in straight sets in the first round, while Hurkacz secured a three-set triumph over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
It was the principal meeting on the ATP Tour between the two players.
Murray, a three-time Grand Slam champion and victor of this occasion in 2008 and 2011, was playing his first competition since pulling out of the Olympic singles in Tokyo with a minor thigh strain.
The Scot has been added to the US Open fundamental draw – where he won his first Grand Slam title in 2012 – which starts on 30 August.
Murray, who has likewise battled in 2021 with a crotch injury, added: “For this present week my body felt better, regardless of whether hardcourts are difficult on the body. Actually I was drained after a portion of the long energizes, however I felt fine.”
Favorite Daniil Medvedev easily took care of rival Mackenzie McDonald as he booked his spot in the third round in Cincinnati.
The Russian, 25, traveled to a 6-2 6-2 triumph against the 26-year-old American and will confront Bulgarian previous world number three Grigor Dimitrov, 30, next.
World number two Medvedev, who was sprinter up at the US Open in 2019 and semi-finalist in 2020, got his twelfth ATP title at the Canadian Open last end of the week.
It was an alternate story for Russian fourth seed Andrey Rublev, who required three sets to conquer 2014 US Open boss Marin Cilic. Rublev, 23, lost the initial set 7-5 to the 32-year-old Croat yet recovered to get the accompanying two sets 6-3 6-1.
He will confront either Australian Alex de Minaur, 22, or 34-year-old Frenchman Gael Monfils in the last 16.
Germany’s Alexander Zverev, the third seed, beat Lloyd Harris of South Africa 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 and will confront Argentine Guido Pella next.a
