Andy Murray beaten in three sets by Novak Djokovic at Madrid Open
Thursday 12 May 2016 16:38, UK
Andy Murray was thwarted by world No 1 Novak Djokovic once again as the Serb claimed the Madrid Open title for the second time.
Djokovic was taken to a deciding set by Murray, who was attempting to defend the title he won in the Spanish capital last year, before prevailing 6-2 3-6 6-3 to record his 15th straight victory over top 10 players.
The Serb collected his fifth title of 2016 after winning the Qatar Open, Indian Wells, the Miami Open and the Australian Open, in which he also defeated Murray in the final.
In a thrilling battle, Djokovic came out on top in a little over two hours to claim a record fifth Masters 1000 Series win in the last six, his 10th in the last 14 and record 29th overall.
Djokovic proved formidable early on, breaking the Scot three times in the opening set but Murray hit back in the second to become the first player to take a set off Djokovic in the tournament.
He had no answer in the third as Djokovic geared up for this month's French Open, the only major title he has not claimed by repeating his 2011 triumph.
"It was a great match to be a part of," the winner said. "Congratulations to Andy for a big fight. It was all decided by just a few points at the end.
"I don't know how I dug my way out, but that's how it happens when you play against one of the best in the world. I'm just happy to have overcome this challenge."
It means Murray now drops down to world No 3 with Roger Federer overtaking him when the new ATP rankings are released on Monday.
Djokovic, the 11-time Grand Slam champion, defeated defending champion Murray for the 12th time in their last 13 matches to stand at an overwhelming 23-9 in their career head-to-heads.
Djokovic had won all of the three previous meetings between the two on the dirt and he raced out of the blocks again as he broke Murray in his first service game and then swiftly moved into a 4-1 advantage.
The British No 1 was 15-30 down and facing a 6-1 first-set loss and, although three big serves helped him out of trouble, Djokovic won the next by hammering away a baseline forehand to wrap things up in 31 minutes.
Murray was finding some rhythm, though, and a confident forehand winner in the second set elicited applause from the Serb before the reigning champion broke Djokovic to go 3-1 up.
It was a double fault that sealed the game as Murray's decision to step up inside his baseline prompted Djokovic to push his second serve long.
Murray weathered the storm for the remainder of the set and an sublime dropshot hauled him back on to terms with a 6-3 success.
Djokovic hit back in the decider when Murray attempted an audacious lob as he lost grip of a long rally which culminated in the top seed going 2-0 up.
However, Murray fought back immediately and once more the break was confirmed courtesy of a double fault as the Scot's unorthodox position to his opponent's serve saw him push his second try too deep again.
Yet Djokovic continued to push Murray to the limit and a series of unforced errors opened the door to another break which was snaffled by a backhand which clipped the chalk.
Murray survived championship point on his own serve with some more big serving but he then missed a plethora of chances in Djokovic's service game, having been 0-40 up, as the Serb continued his dominance with more success heading to Rome later this week.
"It was a fantastic win for Novak, congratulations to him. I've had a lot of success here the last two years," said Murray.
"It's a shame I could not come back and defend the title - it wasn't to be today. But Novak showed that he is doing great things."
Live ATP Masters Tennis
