Andy Murray played his second match on his comeback from an ankle injury, and he lost to Gregoire Barrere in two sets at the ATP Challenger event in Bordeaux.
The first match Murray played on his comeback was a solid display against native player Kyrian Jacquet, who really didn't stand a chance against him. Jacquet actually retired in the second set because he was dealing with some physical problems, so in that sense, the Brit got off easily.
Ideally, he would have liked to play the full match because he needs matches right now, but overall, he wasn't too distracted by not having played a full match. He got a full match in the second round, but it wasn't the outcome he wanted.
Barrere jumped to a 5-0 lead, completely outplaying Murray in the first few games. The Brit couldn't do anything but then found some solutions and actually made a 4-0 run himself.
Ultimately, Barrere was able to serve it out on the third attempt to win the opening set 6-4. Murray's serve was a major problem because when he hit his first serve, he generally won the point comfortably.
He barely won any points on his second serve, and that's why he lost the opening set. Serving below 50 % was simply too much to overcome. The second set was a bit better for the former world no. 1, but not that much.
He once again struggled to serve well and had many issues because of that. However, Barrere tends to rush through points and pushes more often than not, which can often backfire.
It nearly backfired in that opening set, but he hung on both in that set and the second one. Barrere finished the second after yet another break to set the final score 6-4, 6-2. Murray got broken six times in the match, and that was simply too much.
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