Andy Murray's run in the 2022 Dubai Tennis Championships ended with a second-round defeat to Italy's Jannik Sinner in straight sets on Wednesday.
The Brit made hard work of his victory over Christopher O'Connell in the first round but was comfortably beaten by a man 14 years his junior 5-7 2-6 after one hour and 43 minutes.
Sinner earned the vital first break at 5-5 as Murray's dropshot failed to clear the net at 0-40, and despite saving two match points, the frustrated three-time Grand Slam winner bowed out.
Sinner hit 27 winners on the day - 18 with his forehand - compared to Murray's 13, and the 20-year-old will now meet Hubert Hurkacz of Poland in the quarter-finals.
"There were some nerves - I lost the last match against him so I tried to stay focused on my game," Sinner said during his on-court interview. "It's a great start, I'm just trying to play consistently and let's see how the tournament goes.
"I think I played well in the first set with some difficult moments so I'm happy. It's a special feeling [to play against Murray], he is a legend, he had many unfortunate moments. His fighting spirit is incredible so I wish him the best of luck."
Murray's exit means that Great Britain have no more representatives in the singles event, but Neal Skupski continues to vie for doubles glory with partner Wesley Koolhof.
