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Sports

Murray falls in Qatar

By Sports Network
Published | Updated

Doha, Qatar (SportsNetwork.com) - Two-time champion Andy Murray went by way of a second-round upset Wednesday at the $1 million Qatar Open.

Capable German Florian Mayer rung in the new year by coming back to stun the third-seeded British star 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in 1 hour, 52 minutes on the hardcourts at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.

Mayer overcame a one-set and 0-3 deficit in order to erase Murray.

"To be honest, in my mind, the match was finished at 3-6, 0-3," said Mayer. "But I tried to play more aggressively, tried to risk something more. Of course for sure he didn't play his best tennis.

"I knew before the match if I would have a chance, it's probably today. He didn't play for a long time. So I took my chance."

Murray returned to action for the first time in three-and-a-half months with an easy 37-minute 6-0, 6-0 win here on Tuesday, but Mayer posed a much bigger problem than helpless Qatari wild card Mousa Shanan Zayed did on Day 2.

The Wimbledon titlist and 2008 and 2009 Doha winner Murray underwent minor back last season and hadn't played anywhere since mid-September.

Also in Doha, Peter Gojowczyk upended sixth-seeded fellow German Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (9-7); seventh-seeded Latvian Ernests Gulbis held off Poland's Lukasz Kubot 6-2, 4-6, 6-3; Romanian Victor Hanescu knocked out eighth-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 4-6, 7-6 (7-0), 6-2; and German qualifier Dustin Brown withstood 22 aces in outlasting 6-foot-10 Croat Ivo Karlovic 3-6, 7-6 (15-13), 6-4 at this Australian Open tune-up.