Andy Murray and Serena Williams saw their mixed doubles romp ended in the third round yesterday by the top seeds, Bruno Soares and Nicole Melichar, 3-6, 6-4, 2-6.
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The stellar British-American duo battled to a break opportunity at 3-3 in the first set but couldn't converted.
They were immediately punished as their opponents took their own opportunity to move to 5-3 and served out the set.
The second set was tight until Soares coughed up three double faults while serving at 4-5 down and Murray-Williams took the match to a decider.
The experienced Brazilian doubles specialist made amends, however, at the start of the third set by clinching an immediate break with a winner.
The match then slipped away from Murray and Williams as their opponents turned the screw to close things out.
This transatlantic pairing has been fun to watch and a joy to behold for Murray fans keen to see their man back and enjoying his tennis.
Though defeated here, the court-time that Murray has accumulated in the past few weeks is proving invaluable in his quest to return to singles competition.
Afterwards, the Scot indicated that his immediate priorities will now turn to the gym rather than the tennis court, as he seeks to regain his physical strength and endurance following complex hip surgery.
