Andy Murray’s Wimbledon seeding hopes are dealt a crushing blow after a first-round loss at Queen’s… as Alex de Minaur breaks his win streak
- Andy Murray was defeated 6-3, 6-1 in straight sets by Australian Alex de Minaur
- Murray is now likely missing out on a priceless placement in the Wimbledon draw
- Katie Boulter was also defeated just days after winning a WTA title in Nottingham
Less than 48 hours after completing a Sunday double in Nottingham, Andy Murray and Katie Boulter crashed through opposition from a higher level.
In the case of a slightly tired-looking Murray, defeat to Australian Alex de Minaur at Queen’s almost certainly leaves him at the mercy of the Wimbledon draw, his seed hopes dashed.
After fellow Notts champions Boulter lost just down the road from the Edgbaston Test drama, Murray was back at the Cinch Championships. In its various guises, it has been the most prolific tournament of his career with five titles to his credit.
Knowing that two wins would be enough to give him a privileged draw at SW19 wasn’t enough to stimulate the 36-year-old Scot’s legs, and against one of the fastest and most impenetrable players on the tour he went down 6-3. 1.
Murray admitted he was well aware of what was at stake, in terms of getting the potentially priceless seeding: “I’ve been thinking about it for the past few weeks. I knew I would either have to make it to a final here if I didn’t do well in Surbiton and Nottingham or if I won both events it looked like at least a quarter final to do it. I don’t think it had any influence on how I played today.’
Andy Murray suffered an outright defeat to Australia’s Alex de Minaur at Queen’s
He’s been around long enough to know that maybe it doesn’t mean that much, the weekly Wimbledon draw on Friday. Alternatively, he could face Novak Djokovic in the first round.
“Some of the seeded players may not be very comfortable on the grass, so some draws are better than others. There are also boys who are not qualified but love grass and it is their favorite surface.’
He acknowledged that the Minaur had been a setup, but reasoned, “I won the tournament last week without dropping a set. I only lost one set in Surbiton. I held the serve very comfortably, moved well and hit the ball well. There are many positive signals there.’
While Murray had won two Challenger events in a row, his highest ranked victim in them was 69. It was a quick reversal against the world number eighteen, the Minaur, and he couldn’t afford the amount of the first serve, especially in the first set.
He now has the less demanding doubles alongside Cam Norrie at Queen’s, adding he was not inclined to sign up late next week at Eastbourne.
At Rothesay Classic in Edgbaston, Boulter met Zhu Lin from China and exited the first round 7-5 7-5. Having not beaten anyone higher than 131 en route to the title in Nottingham, this was a step up against world number 39, and it proved too much.
In an all-British game, the player she defeated in Sunday’s final, Jodie Burrage, fell 4-6 6-2 7-5 to Harriet Dart.