Tennis: Error-strewn Andy Murray starts 2022 with defeat in Melbourne

Andy Murray shows his frustration after losing in three sets to Facundo Bagnis in Melbourne.Andy Murray shows his frustration after losing in three sets to Facundo Bagnis in Melbourne.
Andy Murray shows his frustration after losing in three sets to Facundo Bagnis in Melbourne.
Scotland’s Andy Murray made a disappointing start to 2022 as he was beaten by world No 76 Facundo Bagnis in the first round of the Melbourne Summer Series.

The 34-year-old produced an error-strewn display as he fell 6-3 5-7 6-3 to Bagnis, leaving him plenty of work to do ahead of this month's Australian Open.

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Murray had harboured hopes of making a competitive start to 2022 after reaching the final of an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi in December, where he was beaten by Andrey Rublev.

But those hopes largely evaporated in a disappointing display which left the Scot slamming his racket into his bench in frustration midway through the deciding set.

Bagnis, who has never gone beyond the third round of a grand slam tournament, took the first set but Murray responded well with a dominant second to level matters.

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However, Murray was afflicted by a poor ball toss and dreadful second-serve percentage, enabling Bagnis to grab the crucial break in the fifth game of the final set before serving out to take the match.

Murray has accepted a wild card into the Australian Open, two years after indicating his appearance in Melbourne was likely to be his last due to impending hip surgery.

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