Share

Fish ends Murray's reign

London - Mardy Fish ended Andy Murray's reign as king of Queen's as the unseeded American defeated the defending champion 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7/2) in their controversial third round clash on Friday.

Murray had been left raging at Queen's officials on Thursday evening after the tie was suspended due to bad light with the score 3-3 in the final set.

The world number four felt he should have been consulted by umpire Cedric Mourier and supervisor Tom Barnes before the decision was made to halt play.

Murray's anger was only increased by the knowledge that the momentum was with him after he fought back from 3-0 down to put the pressure back on Fish.

The American had added to Murray's sense of injustice by getting off court as quickly as possible, so inevitably there was an extra spice to proceedings when play resumed under grey skies in west London on Friday.

Although there was no visible sign of discord between the players, both were determined not to give an inch and a succession of easily held service games sent the match to a tie-break.

Murray's flashing return winner gave him an early mini-break, but he dropped five of the next six points to hand Fish the initiative.

A tame forehand into the net from Murray gave Fish four match points and he was soon celebrating as the British number one sent a backhand long.

The defeat is a major blow to Murray's preparations ahead of his home Grand Slam at Wimbledon later this month and he will need a significant improvement to triumph at the All England Club.

Fish, the world number 90, faces a quick turnaround as he will play France's Michael Llodra in the last eight later on Friday.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1472 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2251 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE