Andy Murray fell to defeat in Montreal overnight
(Picture: AP)Andy Murray’s tough start to the hardcourt season continued, as he was blown away by America’s Taylor Fritz at the National Bank Open in Montreal.
Murray, who was knocked out in the first round at the Citi Open in Washington last week, suffered the same fate, as he was thrashed 6-1, 6-3 after being handed a difficult draw against the No10 seed.
There was better news for the Brits elsewhere, however, as Cameron Norrie, Jack Draper and Dan Evans all secured progress into the second round.
Murray won the tournament in 2009, 2010 and 2015 and is looking to build momentum ahead of the start of the US Open later this month, but he struggled to deal with Fritz’s power in the first set, in particular.
The Scot cut a frustrated figure, smashing his racket on the ground several times, as Fritz, who reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final at Wimbledon this year, eased through.
Norrie, meanwhile, took less than an hour-and-a-quarter to cruise past Brandon Nakashima in straight sets and will meet Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp next, while Draper faces a daunting task against world No5 Stefanos Tsitsipas after overcoming fellow qualifier Hugo Gaston.
Evans dropped a set en route to victory over Filip Krajinovic and will now play Russia’s Andrey Rublev.
Earlier, Emma Raducanu’s preparations for the defence of her US Open crown suffered a blow, as she was beaten in straight sets by reigning champion Camila Giorgi.
“I think it was a really good match,” said the 19-year-old. “I just need to get better at dealing with players who play as quick as she does.”
Elsewhere, Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios teed-up a mouthwatering showdown with top seed Daniil Medvedev after winning his opener against Sebastian Baez in straight sets. Kyrgios is on a run of 13 wins in 14 matches, his sole defeat coming to Novak Djokovic in the final at SW19.
“Medvedev is coming from a title and is No1 in the world,” said the Australian. “It’s not like rankings mean too much, but Medvedev is a machine.”
