- Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria wins quarter-final against Andy Murray in straight sets 6-1 7-6 (7/4) 6-2
- 6-1 scoreline in first set made it the most one-sided set he's lost at All England Club since 2005 debut
- One year ago Murray ended Fred Perry's 77-year reign as the last British man to win the singles title
- Murray says: 'I'm especially disappointed with the way I started the match - it wasn't a great day'
Andy Murray's Wimbledon defence today came to a miserable end in the quarter-finals at the hands of rising star Grigor Dimitrov.
After the high of last year, when he ended Fred Perry's 77-year reign as the last British man to win the singles title, this was a sad way for him to bow out.
Murray never found anything like his best form while Dimitrov played an inspired match to win 6-1 7-6 (7/4) 6-2 and reach his first grand slam semi-final.
The defeat ended Murray's 17-match All England Club winning streak and was his first slam loss to a player ranked outside the top 10 in four years.
Murray said after the match on BBC One: ‘I'm disappointed, especially disappointed with the way I started the match.
He's out: Britain's Andy Murray wipes the sweat
off his forehead during his match against Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov at
the Wimbledon Championships
Frustration: Murray reacts during his match
against Dimitrov during day ten of the Wimbledon Championships at the
All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
End of the road: Murray during a break in his match against Dimitrov during day ten of the Wimbledon Championships
‘I played a poor first set and that
gave him confidence at the beginning. In the second set he got tight at
the end and it could have gone either way. ‘When he got that set it's a lot easier to settle down when you're two sets to love up.
‘If I had managed to come back with him having been a break up in that set and got it, maybe I would have been able to find a way back, but it wasn't a great day.’
Dimitrov suggested Murray had been off his game from the warm-up onwards, but Murray disagreed.
‘I felt fine in the warm-up,’ he said. ‘I obviously got off to a bad start so that was the disappointing part of the match for me.
‘I found a way to get myself back into it at the end of the second set but the start was not good enough. You need to start better.’
He added: ‘I felt fine in the warm up but obviously got off to a bad start.'
Murray lost his first set of the tournament as Dimitrov stormed into an early lead in their quarter-final.
The defending champion simply could not get going against an opponent playing high-class tennis and the 6-1 scoreline made it the most one-sided set Murray has lost at the All England Club since his debut in 2005.
Murray had reached the last eight without dropping a set for the second straight year but his form had been even better than 12 months ago.
This was the match-up that created excitement when the draw was made - defending champion against tennis' pin-up boy.
Many faces: The Duchess of Cambridge winces as
she watches Andy Murray lost the first two sets in his tense
quarter-final clash at Wimbledon this afternoon
Can't stand it: The agony of watching Murray
give away his first set of the tournament was evident in Kate's
expressions as she fiddled nervously in the royal box
Cheering them on: The royal couple watched the
ladies' single quarter final match between Sabine Lisicki and Simona
Halep first - Halep won
Touted
as Baby Federer and one half of the sport's glamour couple with Maria
Sharapova, Dimitrov has been making headlines on the court over the past
year.Tough Australian coach Roger Rasheed has helped the 23-year-old develop the physical side of his game to go with his exceptional racquet skills.
He made a tentative start to his first Wimbledon quarter-final but Murray was unable to take advantage of a break point and he was made to pay for that in the fourth game.
'I
obviously got off to a bad start so that was the disappointing part of
the match for me. I found a way to get myself back into it at the end of
the second set but the start was not good enough. You need to start
better'
Andy Murray
Andy Murray
Dimitrov played a terrific return game and broke the Murray serve when he forced the Scot to guide an attempted backhand pass wide.
The Scot was making more errors than he had in his previous four matches while Dimitrov was not missing a beat.
Three more break points arrived for the Bulgarian in the sixth game and he only needed one, Murray putting a forehand into the net.
That left Dimitrov serving for the set and, although Murray saved one set point, the Bulgarian put away a simple smash on the second.
This was not an unfamiliar position for Murray, who at the same stage last year trailed Fernando Verdasco by two sets before fighting back to win.
Nerves seemed to be coursing through the champion's body, and the crowd feared the worst when he served two awful double faults in the third game of the second set, but he did enough to come through it.
Perhaps the scoreline was not too surprising given their respective seasons - Dimitrov having won three titles, including his triumph at Queen's two weeks ago, while Murray has not made a final since having back surgery last September.
Dimitrov looked so much more confident and he broke for the first time in the set for 4-3.
Angry Murray: The pain of dropping the first set
to the 11th seed was written all over the Scotsman's face as he
grimaced under the bright sun
Not happy: Murray was sheltered from the sun by a ball boy holding an umbrella during a break from the action on Centre Court
Taking no prisoners: Dimitrov stormed his way to
victory taking three straight sets from reigning champion Murray at
Wimbledon today
Murray
played his best point of the match to save the first break point but on
the second he served a 93mph first serve and then erred with a horrible
backhand slice.He looked towards his support camp with arms held wide as if looking for answers, and he found them in the next game, with some help from his opponent.
Having been rock solid, Dimitrov's backhand let him down, allowing Murray to level straight away at 4-4.
'I
am excited and just happy I got through that match in straight sets.
It's never easy coming to play Andy in front of a home crowd and I am
just fortunate and happy'
Grigor Dimitrov
Grigor Dimitrov
Centre Court held its collective breath at 30-30 in the next game as the pair pulled each other all over the court in a 31-stroke rally.
Murray won it, and then served an ace to hold, but the pressure was relentless and he needed two big serves to save break points at 5-5.
A tie-break would settle it, and it was Dimitrov who made the first meaningful move with a backhand pass to lead 5-4.
A delightful drop volley gave the Bulgarian two set points, and he took the first for 7-4 as a desperate attempt at a pass from Murray found the net.
Murray had come back from two sets behind to win matches seven times before but against a player playing at Dimitrov's level it was a seriously tall order to do it again.
The 23-year-old's defence had been exceptional, more evidence of the improvements made under Rasheed, who Murray came close to hiring in 2011 before opting for Ivan Lendl.
Things went from bad to worse for Murray when, from 40-15, he lost four points in a row to drop serve at 3-2 behind, ending on a double fault.
'Beating Murray AND going out with Sharapova -
respect': Twitter was full of messages from tennis fans impressed by the
young Bulgarian
And in the players' box: Andy Murray's
girlfriend Kim Sears, 26, arrived in a bright pink dress and with
Murray saved that with one of his best forehands of the match but then netted a forehand to hand Dimitrov an unexpected but thoroughly deserved victory.
Murray sat disconsolately in his chair before trudging off alongside Dimitrov, pausing to bow to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in the Royal Box and wave to the crowd, who cheered their fallen hero.
Kate clapped as Murray waved to the crowd, while William blew out his cheeks and she paid homage to the All England Club's strict fashion rules for players by wearing a white dress by Australian brand Zimmermann.
Kate also wore the elegant knee-length outfit in Sydney during the Royal Tour in April.
The couple were joined in the Royal Box by Princess Beatrice, comedian Michael McIntyre and England rugby union coach Stuart Lancaster on a sunny, warm day at SW19 where the temperature was due to reach 22C (71.6F).
Murray's long-term girlfriend Kim Sears sat in the players' box wearing a coral shift dress.
Dimitrov said: ‘I am excited and just happy I got through that match in straight sets. It's never easy coming to play Andy in front of a home crowd and I am just fortunate and happy.
‘As soon as we started warming up I sensed his game was not at the highest level and I was feeling good. I held my ground... the tiebreak was crucial.
‘I went into the third set very positive. It's tough when you know the person well outside the court and you have to face them.
‘I have hopefully two more matches left and I am just focusing on that and trying not to get carried away.’
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