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Andy Murray’s match was suspended after bizarre weather at the Geneva Open

Theo

Andy Murray was distracted by bizarre weather conditions as he teetered on the brink of defeat in the first round of the Geneva Open.

Murray was a set and a double break behind world number 85 Yannick Hanfmann when referee Greg Allensworth sent them back to the dressing rooms because of an impending storm.

Gusts of wind had sent showers of white pollen onto the pitch from the nearby Parc des Eaux-Vives, prompting Murray to complain to Allensworth: “It’s like it’s snowing out here.”

Under these unlikely conditions, Murray committed two consecutive double faults, paving the way for Hanfmann to take a 4-1 lead in the second set after he had made the decisive break in the first set and scored 12 consecutive points to win 7-5 .

It was a disappointing return to the ATP Tour for Murray, who was hoping to use Geneva to get fit for his first French Open appearance since 2020 after a disappointing performance at a Challenger event in Bordeaux last week following his comeback from injury.

He appeared painfully out of form, struggling to return serve and increasingly ceding the initiative to his opponent, who was less inclined to accept the need for a break in the weather.

Unless there is a spectacular revival, it means Murray will miss the chance of a second-round clash with world number 1 Novak Djokovic, which would have been their first meeting since the 2017 Doha final.

British number 3 Dan Evans missed a chance for a match point when he lost 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (6) to France’s Arthur Rinderknech in the first round of the Lyon Open.

In a thrilling final set, Evans fought back from 5-2 down and held match point at 6-5 in the tiebreak before Rinderknech recovered to reach the second round.

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