Teymuraz Gabashvili overcame Andy Murray in Washington this morning to send the top seed crashing out of the 2015 Citi Open.

Murray was defeated in three sets on Stadium Court, becoming the first top seeded player to lose his first match at the tournament since 1993, when former-coach Ivan Lendl accomplished the same unwanted feat.

Gabashvili takes his chances in a tight match

The match was extremely tight from the off, with neither player giving much away or allowing their opponent the opportunity to take an advantage.

However, the Russian would take the few chances he saw in the first set, breaking to take a 3-1 lead and, after Murray got the set back on serve at 4-4, seeing three break and set points with the scores reading 5-4 in his favour, the man ranked just outside the top 50 taking the third of these to win the first set 6-4 in 45 minutes.

The second set was much more settled, but much better from Murray. The Scot constantly put the pressure on his opponent's serve, with Gabashvili admittedly misfiring in the set, producing a number of unforced errors to squander opportunities and give Murray plenty instead. The top seed broke to take a 4-3 lead as a result, and this was enough to win the second set, despite his opponent seeing a break point as Murray served it out.

The decider was as close as expected, though, when Murray broke to love to take a 5-4 lead and give himself the chance to serve for the match, one expected Gabashvili's night to be over.

However, credit must be given to the Russian as he broke back immediately and took the set to a tiebreak, despite Murray being two points away from victory. This remained on serve until Murray finally gave his opponent a mini-break at 6-4, before failing to save the match point, Gabashvili producing a lovely backhand winner to take the match in two hours and 44 minutes.

Murray understandably disappointed

Speaking after the defeat, via the Indian Express, Murray was "obviously disappoint[ed]" with the result, especially because he failed "to close out the third set when [he] had a chance."

The world number three admitted that he "struggled with [his] rhythm early," but gave credit to his opponent for playing his part in "some good rallies" and because "he served well in the big moments."

However, despite Gabashvili's good serving, Murray said he "usually back[s] [himself] to return better" and he believes "that cost [him] a lot" in the match, which was "pretty frustrating."

He concluded by saying that he was "happy" with "certain things" in his performance, particularly "how [he] moved," but there were obviously "some things [he] felt [he] could improve."

Gabashvili thrilled with 'best victory'

Gabashvili, on the other hand, was delighted with his win over such a big opponent, saying, "anytime you beat Andy Murray 7-6 in the third it's something special," admitting that it was "100 per cent" his "best victory."

The Russian, who faces Richardas Berankis in the quarter-finals after the Lithuanian beat 14th seed Pablo Cuevas in straight sets, went on to say that his "body is really tired" but he "learned to play important points" and "to play aggressive and without fear" in the match, which helped him to victory.

Going into the next round, Gabashvili admits he is "confident now" and that this win has "really helped" him.

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About the author
Amee Ruszkai
Head of the Sunderland, Swansea City and women football sections at VAVEL UK. Email: [email protected]