Andy Murray’s Queen’s Club comeback was ended in the second round by the top seed Matteo Berrettini at the Cinch Championships. Murray, who won his first singles match on grass in three years on Tuesday, was overpowered 6-3, 6-3 by the world No 9.
Berrettini, a former US Open semi-finalist, was always going to be a tougher proposition than Murray’s first-round opponent, the lacklustre Frenchman Benoît Paire. The former world No 1’s movement did not seem to be impaired by his recent groin problem, the latest in a long line of injury setbacks.
But the 6ft 4in Italian Berrettini, with one title under his belt this season, regularly boomed down serves of 140mph and secured a break for 3-2 when Murray wafted a forehand long. Murray faced two set points on his own serve and surrendered the second when he dumped a forehand low into the net.
The 34-year-old had a chance to claw back an early break in the second but was unable to take advantage as Berrettini moved 3-0 ahead. Murray’s bid to reach a seventh Queen’s Club quarter-final, and the first since he won the title in 2016, ended when Berrettini ruthlessly held to love.
So there will be no England v Scotland appetiser before the football on Friday, with Berrettini taking on the British No 1, Dan Evans, instead. Evans reached his first Queen’s quarter-final with a 6-4, 7-6 (7) victory against the Frenchman Adrian Mannarino. In doing so he joined Cameron Norrie and Jack Draper in the quarter-finals, meaning three British players have reached the last eight at Queen’s Club for the first time in the Open era. It is also the first time three Britons have reached the quarter-finals of an ATP Tour event since Nottingham in 1996, when Tim Henman, Greg Rusedski and Mark Petchey got through.
Evans looked in for an easy afternoon when he took the first eight points of the match but Mannarino, the world No 42, proved a tricky customer once he settled. Evans needed a further break to take the first set and saved a set point in the second before winning a closely fought tie-break.
Evans said: “It was a tough match mentally more than anything, to try and hold on and hold my nerve at the end as well, I was down set point. I did a good job of playing my gameand came up with some good serves when I needed them.”