Tennis news - Andy Murray falls to Alex Di Minaur at Zhuhai Championships

Victory over Tennys Sandgren in the previous round was Murray’s first ATP-level win since January, having returned to the tour for the Asian swing after deciding to miss the US Open and take part in the second-tier Rafa Nadal Open last month.

But despite taking the first set against seventh seed De Minaur, Murray fell short of a spot in the quarters as the Australian prevailed 4-6 6-2 6-4.

The match proved to be another test of Murray’s fitness as he continues his comeback from hip surgery, with the encounter lasting two hours and 44 minutes.

The former world number one fought for a similar amount of time when beating Sandgren over three sets on Tuesday.

Murray’s focus now switches to the China Open, which starts next week.