Andy Murray’s Chinese return to Zhihai after four years away was upended with a second-round defeat, with the former No. 1 shown the exit by Aslan Karatsev 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday.
The modest 250-level tournament is being used as a test bed for a controversial new scheduling wrinkle – a Wednesday start of play which ends with a Tuesday night final.
With the Chinese ticket market long an unknown quantity, the experiment’s outcome is anyone’s guess.
Murray’s visit ended in a battle lasting for nearly three hours.
The 36-year-old was unable to profit after winning the opening set as he took the loss.
The unseeded Karatsev will now become a target of revenge for British No. 1 Cam Norrie, a former Wimbledon semi-finalist who advanced to the Sunday quarter-finals with the loss of three games against Australian No. 52 Marc Polmans.
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