(Sydney) Andy Murray’s impressive run stopped just one win away from a 47and career title when he lost in the final of the Sydney Tennis Classic on Saturday.
Posted yesterday at 4:43 p.m.
The 34-year-old Briton lost in straight sets 6-3, 6-3 to tournament favorite Aslan Karatsev. Murray had started the week by signing a first victory on Australian soil in more than 1,000 days.
It was Murray’s first final since 2019. Karatsev, who reached the Australian Open semi-finals in 2021, was simply too strong for him.
Murray, a five-time Australian Open runner-up, received a bye to the tournament in Sydney and went on to beat Viktor Durasovic, Nikoloz Basilashvili and Reilly Opelka.
Murray won’t have much time to recover before facing Basilashvili again in the first round of the Australian Open.
The men’s title in Sydney was one of four awarded on Saturday, when the make-up tournaments concluded before the Australian Open, which begins on Monday.
In the women’s final in Sydney, Paula Badosa earned her third career title when she defeated Barbora Krejcikova 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(4).
In Adelaide, Madison Keys claimed her first singles title on the WTA Tour since 2019. She edged Alison Riske 6-1, 6-2.
On the men’s side, Thanasi Kokkinakis triumphed for the first time on the ATP Tour by taking the measure of Arthur Rinderknech in three sets of 6-7 (6), 7-6 (5), 6-3.