Both Andy Murray and Dan Evans lose in the quarter-finals of the Stockholm Open
Image credit: Sky Sports
After losing in the quarter-finals of the Stockholm Open against American Tommy Paul, Britain’s Andy Murray missed out on his first ATP Tour semi-final in two years.
Murray, 34, defeated first seed Jannik Sinner on Wednesday but was unable to match his performance against Paul.
The Scot was defeated 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 by Paul, who is rated 52nd in the world, and will face fellow American Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinals.
Dan Evans, the British number two, led Tiafoe 1-6, 6-1, 6-1 in their quarter-final earlier on Thursday.
Evans’ loss put an end to the possibility of an all-British semi-final, and Murray was unable to keep the nation’s enthusiasm for the competition alive.
Murray stated that his “weary body needs a rest” before starting preparations for the 2022 season, while Evans will now represent Great Britain in the Davis Cup Finals.Murray has been in Stockholm with Johanna Konta’s former coach, Esteban Carril, who is expected to join his coaching staff next season.
The Scot, who is now ranked 143rd in the world, has played some of his finest tennis since returning from career-saving hip surgery in January 2019. Murray’s struggle in recent months has been stringing together a continuous run of victories, and it remains a goal for the three-time Grand Slam champion following his loss to Paul, who is only 24 years old.
Murray’s most recent ATP semi-final appearance was in October of this year, when he won the European Open barely nine months after undergoing hip resurfacing surgery that left him with a metal hip.
His persistence showed through in the second set, as he fought back to force a tiebreaker after being outplayed by an agile and aggressive Paul in the first.
Evans will face Andy Murray on the opening day of the Battle of the Brits Scotland vs. England on December 21 in Aberdeen, it was also revealed on Thursday.
According to the preliminary itinerary for the two-day event organised by Murray’s brother Jamie, Kyle Edmund will play his first matches in over a year following knee surgery, according to the preliminary itinerary for the two-day event. Jamie Murray developed the Battle of the Brits series last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.