Bengaluru, February 17: For the first time since 2014, Andy Murray lost a match while winning just one game or fewer as he was thrashed 6-0, 6-1 by Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round of Qatar ExxonMobil Open.

It was just the fourth occasion in which the three-time major champion has lost a match while winning only one game or fewer in his career - the last time being a defeat by the same scoreline to Roger Federer at the ATP Finals in 2014.

The result at the hard-courts of Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex courts on Wednesday (February 16) night contrasted with the battle the two waged the last time they met at the 2019 Australian Open when Murray, who feared that he may have played his last match at the time, rallied from two sets down before falling in an emotional five-setter.

Bautista Agut, who won the ATP World Tour 250 Series event in 2019 and reached the final last year, improved to 10-2 at the event.

The Spaniard dominated on return, with Murray winning just eight of 23 first-service points and seven of 18 second-service points. Bautista Agut was also ruthlessly efficient, converting five of six break point opportunities.

Qatar Open: Andy Murray takes his revenge on Taro Daniel

World No. 87 and tournament wild card Murray began the week with an impressive 6-2, 6-2 win over Taro Daniel, avenging his loss to the World No. 110 Japanese player at the Australian Open. The 34-year-old is now 7-5 on the season.

Top-seed Denis Shapovalov bounced back from his first-round loss to Jiri Lehecka in Rotterdam last week by dropping just eight points on serve as he claimed a 6-4, 6-0 victory over Alex Molcan inside 52 minutes.

Next up for the Canadian will be Arthur Rinderknech after the Frenchman came from a set down to defeat seventh seed Alexander Bublik 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 6-4.

Nikoloz Basilashvili faced little trouble in overcoming Elias Ymer 6-4, 7-5 and his reward is a quarterfinal against Marton Fucsovics, who got the better of Kwon Soon-woo.

Karen Khachanov and Marin Cilic will meet in the last eight after they respectively eliminated Emil Ruusuvuori and Botic van de Zandschulp.

Bopanna in semis

Meanwhile, longtime doubles partners Rohan Bopanna and Shapovalov reached their second ATP Tour semifinal in the past five months.

Frequent partners since 2019, the unseeded duo also reached the semifinals in St Petersburg in October.

In the Qatari capital, they got back to that stage with an efficient 7-6 (9-7), 6-4 win over Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen. Finalists in Stuttgart in 2019, the Indian/Canadian duo is seeking a first ATP tour-level title.

Bopanna/Shapovalov converted their only two break points of the match - one in each set - and recovered after failing to serve out the opening stanza. They took a tight tie-break on their third set point, then saw home an early advantage in the second.

Across the net in the semifinals will be Mackenzie McDonald and Botic van de Zandschulp, who took out top seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic, 6-2, 3-6, 10-7 (super tie-breaker).

Fourth seeds Neal Skupski and Wesley Koolhof are the only seeded pair in the semis; they advanced with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Nikoloz Basilashvili and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Their semifinal opponents will be Andrey Golubev and Fabrice Martin, 3-6, 6-4, 10-7 winners over Alexander Bublik and Marton Fucsovics.

(With ATP/OPTA inputs)