Summary The 30-year-old Russian denied him on a break chance with a service winner and held to 2-2
WASHINGTON (AFP) - British top seed Andy Murray suffered a stunning defeat in his first hardcourt warm-up match for the US Open, losing Wednesday to Teymuraz Gabashvili at the ATP and WTA Washington Open.
The 53rd-ranked Russian outlasted third-ranked Murray 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) over two hours and 41 minutes to reach the third round at the ATP and WTA Washington Open.
Gabashvili, who was 3-22 against top-10 foes before the match, hit 30 winners and only made 15 unforced errors in making Murray the highest-ranked victim of his career, advancing to face the winner of a later match between Uruguay s Pablo Cuevas and Lithuania s Ricardas Berankis.
It was a shocking defeat for the 28-year-old Scotsman, who sparked Britain s Davis Cup team past France in July after a semi-final run at Wimbledon. Murray, the 2012 US Open and 2013 Wimbledon champion, was playing in the US capital for the first time since losing the 2006 final to France s Arnaud Clement.
Gabashvili, who lost to Murray last year at Shanghai in their only prior meeting, broke the Briton with a backhand winner to take the first set after 45 minutes.
The 30-year-old Russian denied him on a break chance with a service winner and held to 2-2.
Murray made the most of his next break chance in the seventh game, his running forehand lob setting up a Gabashvili forehand overhead smash that the Russian swatted wide to surrender a 4-3 edge.
Murray netted a forehand to give Gabashvili a break chance in the 10th game but the Russian sent a forehand volley long and two points later hit a backhand wide to hand the Scotsman the second set.
Murray broke Gabashvili at love in the ninth game of the third set and was two points from victory before surrendering a service break, a wide crosscourt backhand pulling the Russian level at 5-5.
After Murray hit a forehand winner for a 4-3 lead in the tie-breaker, Gabashvili won the final four points, the last on a backhand winner with a celebration fist pump seconds later.
US eighth seed Isner, coming off a third consecutive Atlanta title last week, blasted 17 aces without a double fault in advancing with a 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), triumph over Dominican Victor Estrella Burgos.
Argentina s Leonardo Mayer outlasted Slovenian Blaz Rola 7-6 (7/2), 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, to reach a third-round matchup against Japanese second seed Kei Nishikori.
Australia s Sam Groth ousted Serbian Viktor Troicki 6-3, 6-4 to book a third-round date with Spanish seventh seed Feliciano Lopez, who rallied to beat Aussie Lleyton Hewitt 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.
On the women s side, Australian second seed Samantha Stosur, the 2011 US Open champion, advanced to a quarter-final with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over American Irina Falconi. Stosur next faces Romania s Monica Niculescu, who rallied past American Lauren Davis 1-6, 6-1, 6-4.
French fifth seed Alize Cornet was upset 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) by 19-year-old wildcard Louisa Chirico in a grueling three-hour test, the 128th-ranked American reaching the last eight after only winning her first WTA match Monday.
"They are definitely confidence boosting," Chirico said of her wins. "I definitely feel like I belong here."
Defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova withdrew due to a lower left leg injury, advancing American Sloane Stephens into the quarter-finals against Chirico.
"I m so sorry to have to do this but my body doesn t feel up to it," Kuznetsova said.
