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Murray beaten in first round at Queen’s


 

Originally published on 20/06/17 00:00

The home favourite looked unsure and uncertain in his first grass-court outing this year but his Australian opponent thoroughly merited his 7-6(4) 6-2 win on a day of surprises at the Aegon Championships.

Murray was due to play Alja_ Bedene in the opening round however the 27-year-old pulled out with a wrist injury and Thompson took his spot as a lucky-loser.

“It’s definitely my best win,” said Thompson. “Andy is the world No.1 and I’ve always looked up to him. To get to play him on Centre Court at Queen’s and get a win is huge. I just took each point at a time, I didn’t expect to be winning here in straight sets so I just wanted to enjoy myself and stay calm – I think I did that pretty well.”

Murray was continually frustrated by the defensive capabilities of his speedy opponent and his forehand leaked errors from the outset. The world No.1 – who could lose top spot in the rankings after Wimbledon – struggled to find his groove and was soundly beaten.

Stan Wawrinka’s woes at the Queen’s Club continued as he suffered a first round defeat to Feliciano Lopez. The veteran Spaniard inflicted a 7-6(4) 7-5 defeat on the French Open finalist.

Lopez is at ease with the grass beneath his shoes and he was always likely to be a tricky first round opponent for the Swiss. The 35-year-old served with authority and used his delightful backhand slice to unsettle his rival.

The Spaniard edged a serve-orientated opener and he was helped over the winning line by a slice of good fortune. In the 12th game of the second set, a lucky net-chord helped Lopez grab the only break of the match and earn him a significant victory

 A delighted Lopez said: ‘I’m playing really well and last week was great for me. I reached the finals in Stuttgart and even though I lost to Lucas Pouille, I played well and I came to London with a lot of confidence. Tennis is a lot about confidence and I knew it was going to be very tough against Stan, he is one of the best players in the world, so it’s definitely a great win for me.”

At the grass-court event in Halle, Roger Federer secured the 1,100 win of his career as he defeated Yâichi Sugita 6-3 6-1. There were also wins for Kei Nishikori, Alexander Zverev, Bernard Tomic and Lucas Pouille.

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Tim Farthing, Tennishead Editorial Director & Owner, has been a huge tennis fan his whole life. He's a tennis journalist and entrepreneur as well as playing tennis to a national standard. He also helps manage his local club and volunteers for his local tennis organisation. He's a specialist in content about the administration of professional tennis and tennis coaching for all levels.