Former World number one Andy Murray bowed out of the San Diego Open in the second round following defeat to second seed Casper Ruud.
The 34-year-old was handed a wildcard entry into the tournament and cruised to a 6-3 6-2 victory over Denis Kudla in round one to set up a tie with Norway's Ruud.
However, Murray - whose 2021 season has been disrupted by injury and COVID-19 - fell to a 7-5 6-4 defeat to Norwegian Ruud, who has set up a quarter-final tie with Lorenzo Sonego.
Ruud proves too good 👏
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 1, 2021
🇳🇴 @CasperRuud98 defeats Andy Murray 7-5, 6-4 in an entertaining contest to make the quarters at the #SanDiegoOpen.
pic.twitter.com/tW3pqcs1om
Nevertheless, Ruud - 12 years Murray's junior - paid tribute to the Brit after the encounter, telling ATP Tennis TV on his on-court interview: "For the previous 10 or 15 years he's been an inspiration to watch on TV, the way he fights and always finds a way to never give up.
"The way he plays has been amazing. It's been an unfortunate couple of years for him but it's great to see him back and I think he was playing at a high level today."
Meanwhile, Murray's fellow Brits Cameron Norrie and Dan Evans locked horns for a spot in the last eight, and the former marched to a 7-6 6-3 win to set up a tie with Denis Shapovalov.
Murray will now look ahead to his wildcard entry in the Indian Wells Masters later this month, where he will be joined by compatriot and US Open champion Emma Raducanu.
Ben Knapton
