Andy Murray thrashed by Roberto Bautista Agut in Doha - ‘A chastening defeat!'

Former world number one MurrayLink, 34, was beaten 6-0, 6-1 by the Spaniard, who won the tournament in 2019. A news report in The Telegraph claimed that the defeat resulted in the "worst scoreline of his professional career".

The publication's tennis correspondent, Simon Briggs, wrote: "Andy Murray may be moving up in the world rankings, but on Wednesday in Doha he suffered a chastening defeat that saw him win only one game - thus equalling the worst scoreline of his professional career".

Murray had gone into the tournament looking to win his first singles title since 2019 and had made a strong start with a straight-set win against Japan's Taro Daniel.

But he was well beaten by the 2019 champion, Bautista Agut, who will play his compatriot Davidovich Fokina in the last eight.

According to the reports, the last time Andy Murray faced Roberto Bautista Agut, the world No16 from Spain, it was expected to be his retirement match.

The match took place in Australia in 2019, after Murray had told a press conference that he thought his career might effectively be over.

Despite returning to the tour with a metal hip seven months later, Murray is still struggling to compete consistently with the best players, as Wednesday's 6-0, 6-1 defeat underlined.

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The report stated: "This was a real hammering, especially in a first set that saw Bautista Agut win 25 points and lose just eight.

"Murray was spraying unforced errors in all directions from the very first point, which saw a backhand miss its mark."

Murray's win-loss record over the past 12 months shows the level he is capable of playing at with a metal hip.

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