• Rogers Cup

Murray falls at the second hurdle

ESPN staff
August 8, 2013
Andy Murray makes a point during his 6-4, 6-3 defeat by Ernests Gulbis © AP
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Andy Murray's first tournament since winning Wimbledon ended earlier than expected as he was beaten 6-4, 6-3 by Lavia's Ernests Gulbis in the third round of the Rogers Cup in Montreal.

Murray, a two-time Rogers Cup champion who was seeded second, struggled to defend his second serve against an aggressive Gulbis, and he looked listless after dropping the first set.

Gulbis' powerful hitting gave him a 3-1 lead in the second set and although Murray broke back he could not maintain any pressure.

"I struggled in the first set from the baseline but got more confident and took my chances," Gulbis said. "I didn't blink when serving out for the match but I didn't play my best tennis."

There were no such alarms for Rafael Nadal who won his third round match against Poland's Jerzy Janowicz 7-6 (6), 6-4.

Nadal, seeded four, said: "I had a very good victory today against a very difficult opponent. I did a few things well during the match, a few things that I need to improve a little bit more. His serve is huge. His forehand and backhand can be very dangerous.

"When he plays with a little bit of regular shots, he will become a very difficult player to beat. If he is able to maintain the right level during whole match he will be a player that will be in the very top positions."

Nadal will face Australia's Marinko Matosevic, a 7-6 (7), 6-7 (10), 6-3 winner over France's Benoit Paire.

And like Murray, Novak Djokovic also dropped the first set, but rallied to overcome Denis Istoman 2-6 6-4 6-4.

Sweat drips from the forehead of Rafael Nadal during his straight sets win © AP
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