Tennis-Murray mauled by Bautista Agut in Qatar

FILE PHOTO: Tennis - ATP Cup - Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, Australia - January 9, 2022 Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut in action during his final singles match against Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime REUTERS/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake

LONDON (Reuters) - Former world number one Andy Murray suffered a brutal 6-0 6-1 defeat by Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round of the Qatar Open on Wednesday.

Murray, twice a champion at the event, never got anywhere near the form he showed the previous day in beating Japan's Taro Daniel, lasting little over an hour against the second seed.

The 34-year-old took Bautista-Agut to deuce on serve in the opening game but managed only five more points in the set.

Murray did hold serve to get on the board at the start of the second set, but Bautista Agut reeled off the next five games to move into the quarter-finals.

It was three-time Grand Slam champion Murray's heaviest Tour defeat since also managing only one game against Roger Federer in the ATP Finals in London in 2014.

Top seed Denis Shapovalov reached the last eight with a 6-4 6-0 victory over Slovakia's Alex Molcan.

(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Toby Davis)

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