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<\/p>\nMurray has now lost four of his last five matches <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Andy Murray\u2019s poor finish to the season continued with a fourth defeat in five matches despite a marathon effort against Tomas Martin Etcheverry in Basel.<\/p>\n
British number three Murray had snapped a three-match losing streak with a hard-fought victory over Yannick Hanfmann on Monday and claimed the first set of this last-16 tie at the Swiss Indoors.<\/p>\n
Etcheverry, ranked eight places above Murray in 32nd, was able to fight back impressively and it was the Argentinian who prevailed 6-7 (5) 6-3 6-2 after a three-hour-and-eight-minute battle.<\/p>\n
The early exchanges of set one proved an insight into what was in store for an excitable crowd at the ATP 500 event with breaks traded by both players.<\/p>\n
After Murray was broken in his first service game, he responded with a superb lob for break point before a volley at the net got the tie back on serve at 2-2.<\/p>\n
A tie-break was eventually required and a classy drop shot helped three-time grand-slam champion Murray draw first blood.<\/p>\n
The 84-minute set appeared to take its toll on Murray at the beginning of the second with Etcheverry able to establish an early advantage and he saved four break points in a lengthy seventh game on his way to forcing a decider.<\/p>\n
Murray was struggling physically by this point and a racket felt the force of his anger despite the Swiss crowd cheering him on.<\/p>\n
Etcheverry was in the ascendancy now though and set up match point with a superb passing stroke before a service winner sent him through to the last eight.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, Cameron Norrie had no answer to world number 10 Alexander Zverev in the second round of the Erste Bank Open in Vienna.<\/p>\n
Zverev had won the first three meetings between the top-20 players and claimed a fourth in a row with an emphatic 6-2 6-4 victory.<\/p>\n
A superb backhand winner down the line earned Zverev a break in Norrie\u2019s first service game and the British number one was broken again before losing the first set in 36 minutes.<\/p>\n
Norrie tried to wrestle his way back into the contest, but was broken again in the third game of the second set.<\/p>\n
It remained on serve until Norrie forced two break opportunities when Zverev was serving for the match and yet the German responded by winning four consecutive points to close out a solid win, which makes it four defeats in five for last year\u2019s Wimbledon semi-finalist.<\/p>\n