Andy Murray suffered his fourth pre-semifinal defeat since his impressive run to the Australian Open final when Philipp Kohlschreiber crushed him, 6-2 6-1, in the second round of Monte Carlo.
Since Melbourne, Murray has lost to Janko Tipsarevic (in the round of 16 in Dubai), Robin Soderling (in the quarters of Indian Wells), Mardy Fish (in the second round of Miami) and, on Wednesday, Kohlschreiber. Murray is projected to drop to No. 5 in the world rankings when they are released on Monday, falling behind the injured Juan Martin del Potro.
“It was the first time in a few years that the court felt so small,” said Murray, who exited to jeers and whistles. “I just could not find the court. When it's like that, it's difficult to play. I tried different things. I tried serve and volleying a couple of times. I tried hitting some high balls. It did not really make a whole lot of difference.”—M.C.