Murray defeated by Davydenko in Dubai quarter-finals
Thursday, 06 Mar 2008 15:01
Andy Murray knocked out top seed Roger Federer in the first round
Andy Murray has been knocked out of the Dubai Championships in the quarter-finals by number five seed Nikolay Davydenko.
The Russian, who had lost his previous three matches against the Scot including a semi-final defeat in the Qatar Open earlier this year, took advantage of a below-par Murray to ease through in straight sets 7-5 6-4.
The first set had gone with serve until, at 6-5 up, the world number five earned a break against Murray at the crucial time to seal the set.
The Scot looked to have bounced straight back from that hindrance when he took the first three games of the second set and race into a 3-0 lead.
However, Davydenko showed his mettle and hit back, winning five games in a row as Murray became increasingly frustrated with his own performance.
Despite stemming the tide by winning the ninth game, moving to within one game at 5-4 down, Davydenko successfully served out to clinch the match and a place in the last four.
The Russian now faces Spain's Feliciano Lopez in the semi-finals after he recorded an impressive win over compatriot and number four seed David Ferrer 6-4 6-3.
The world number 41's last ATP Tour semi-final was almost nine months ago in Stuttgart in July 2007.