Murray bows out to red-hot Alcaraz

Andy Murray crashed out of the Erste Bank Open in Vienna on Wednesday, going down 6-3, 6-4 to Spanish teen sensation Carlos Alcaraz.

Murray looked jaded after his gruelling three-set win over Hubert Hurkacz on Monday and Alcaraz, at 18, showed why he is a future star with a scintillating display to gain revenge over defeat at Indian Wells early this month.

“I’m not going to keep losing in the second and third round of tournaments. I will get better and I will improve and I will break through in one week, or two weeks, or a few months,” Murray said.

“It will happen. I obviously would like it to be happening quicker than what it is.”

Both players produced quality tennis in the first set, which saw four breaks of serve, as Murray hit back from 2-0 down to square it up at 2-2.

But Alcaraz’s relentless power saw him grab another break in the fifth game to go 3-2 up, beat off two break points and take the opening set in 65 minutes.

Murray broke Alcaraz in the third game of the second set and led 3-1 but Alcaraz fought back to level it at 4-4.

The youngster finished the sharper, with a massive forehand to set up victory.

“He (Alcaraz) did play extremely well and he’s a top young player and if you’re hitting single-digit unforced errors playing that way and with the power that he has it’s going to be tough,” Murray said after the match.

“If I continue on that path and build up a little bit more consistency, be that little bit more clinical and a bit more ruthless I will start winning more and have some deep runs, but it’s tough.

“Draws have been hard, I’ve played in some tough tournaments. The draw was stacked here [in Vienna]. There were no easy matches here. It will happen sooner rather than later I think.”

Britain’s new No.1 Cameron Norrie will face Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round in Vienna today.