Murray bows out meekly to Djokovic in Monte Carlo

ANDY Murray paid the price for a sluggish start as he was dumped out of the Monte Carlo Masters 6-0, 6-4 by Novak Djokovic.

Murray failed to make an impression as his fellow 20-year-old powered through the first set and he was unable to retrieve the situation.

Djokovic dropped serve only once as Murray briefly rallied in the second set, but the Serb hit back for a convincing and well deserved victory.

Third seed Djokovic dictated the pace from early on, continually forcing Murray deep behind the baseline and finding plenty of time to place his winners.

Murray's struggles became evident in his first service game, which lasted almost 15 minutes and went to several deuces before Djokovic prevailed on his third break-point.

The Scot offered brief resistance when he forced Djokovic to save two break-points in the fifth game, but otherwise the Serb was barely troubled as he swept the first set in 39 minutes. Djokovic rattled off a seventh successive game at the start of the second set, but then surprisingly lost momentum as Murray at last gained a foothold by holding serve and then breaking.

Yet it was not to last as Djokovic immediately broke back and then, after saving a couple of break points, held to nose himself ahead again.

Murray showed some resolve, but Djokovic claimed the decisive break to take the match in the tenth game of the set.

The Scot said: "The second set was obviously a bit better. I had quite a few chances but I probably hit about three or four winners and about 25, 30 unforced errors so it's not good enough against a player like Novak."

Murray's defeat was his fourth as a professional to Djokovic, a friend and rival from their junior days. It was also a setback in his attempts to establish himself on clay.

"It was a great win for me today, but I didn't expect such an easy first set," said Djokovic, who will now play Sam Querrey after the American upset French seventh seed Richard Gasquet 2-6, 6-4, 6-3

"At the start of the match we had a really, really long game – the second of the match and I think it was the turning point in that set. But then he was a break up and had some great chances at 2-2 and 3-3 in the second set, but he didn't use it.

"I was trying to stay focused and stay calm and be aggressive because Andy is a very talented player and can come back at any time."

World No1 Roger Federer got back into his old routine with a 6-3, 6-4 defeat of France's Gael Monfils to reach the quarter-finals.

The Swiss top seed, who was two points from an embarrassing defeat against Spanish qualifier Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo on Wednesday, sealed a straightforward victory in 71 minutes.

Federer, who won his first title of the season at the Estoril Open last week, is still on course for a third consecutive Monte Carlo final against Spain's Rafael Nadal, a 6-4, 6-1 winner against compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero.



Federer, who now plays Argentine sixth seed David Nalbandian, was happy with his performance, a day after feeling the heat against the world's No 137.

"I think it definitely was a good, tough match from my side. I think Gael is a good player," Federer said. "He gives you a chance to play aggressively."