Andy Murray's 18-match winning run came to an end in the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters yesterday afternoon, as Tomas Berdych came from behind to secure a thrilling win over the world number three.
With Murray's form so imperious going into the match - he had won his last three tournaments and overtaken Roger Federer in the rankings - it was expected he would routinely secure a last-four berth when he won the first set.
But Berdych dug deep and raised his game to a new level in the next two thrilling sets, often forcing Murray to lose his temper as he won 4-6 7-6 (7/5) 6-4.
Murray engaged in a heated debate with the umpire midway through the final set, his anger no doubt increased by the amount of chances he passed up during the three-hour ten-minute tussle.
Speaking after the match, Murray was already looking ahead to the season-ending World Tour Finals in London.
"I got good practice going into London, which I didn't have coming in here," he said.
"I'll need to work on a few things. I was moving much better than I did in my first match by the end of this one.
"I was really unhappy with the way I hit my backhand today, which is normally my most solid shot, so that's something I'll look to work on.
"I didn't feel all that comfortable on my serve this week, even though I didn't get broken the first couple of matches."
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