Andy Murray faced disappointment in Brisbane as his preparations for the Australian Open took a hit with a first-round loss to second-seeded Grigor Dimitrov at the Brisbane International.
The unseeded Scottish player seemed poised to advance after securing the opening set in a tense match between two former tournament champions at Pat Rafter Arena. However, Dimitrov mounted a comeback, winning 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 and sending Murray packing early once again, reminiscent of their meeting at the US Open last year where Murray exited in the second round.
Ranked 14th in the world, Dimitrov will now move on to face either Australian qualifier Li Tu or Germany's Daniel Altmaier in the second round.
Murray, playing his first competitive singles match since a first-round loss to Alex de Minaur at the Paris Masters in late October due to a shoulder injury that kept him out of the Davis Cup finals for Great Britain, showed promise initially. The tight encounter remained on serve until Murray capitalized on an error-filled 10th game from Dimitrov, securing the opening set.
However, Dimitrov calmly fought back, clinching a more chaotic second set that saw both players struggling to hold serve. Despite Murray's visible frustration with the momentum shift, Dimitrov saved a crucial break point with a stunning baseline smash, aided by playing with a broken string.
In the final set, the three-time Grand Slam champion Murray offered little resistance as Dimitrov dominated, securing victory in just under two and a half hours.
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