Andy Murray's Dubai hopes end in straight sets defeat

Andy Murray’s hopes of a Dubai fairytale on what is likely to be his last appearance at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships were brought to a halt by in-form Frenchman Ugo Humbert 6-2, 6-4 on Centre Court at Dubai Tennis Stadium on Wednesday night.

The three-time Grand Slam champion, a winner of this tournament in 2017, cut a frustrated figure against the No5 seed, 11 years his junior. Clearly desperate to give his vocal Dubai fans something to cheer Murray, who beat Fernando Verdasco in the final here seven years ago, was constantly talking to himself as he struggled with his own game and the energy of his opponent.

Murray was giving a standing ovation as he left Centre Court in Dubai for what is probably the final time, with fans acknowledging his service to not just the sport but to the evolution of this tournament.

In the bottom half of the draw, No2 seed and last year’s beaten finalist Andrey Rublev became the first man to book a quarterfinal spot, ending the dream of French qualifier Arthur Cazaux in the process with a 6-4 6-4 win.

Bublik booked his place in the quarterfinals with a 7-6 (10-8), 7-6 (7-2) victory over Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands. Bublik, who survived a scare in his opening match of the week, coming back from a set down against qualifier Tomas Machac, was pushed hard again by Griekspoor, but dug deep to take victory.

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