Andy Murray Runs Out of Steam

BY ESPN

Andy Murray ran out of steam in the title match at the Western & Southern Open, falling to Marin Cilic 6-4, 7-5 and ending his career-best winning streak at 22 matches.

The first seven days of the tournament included long rain delays. Cilic finished his three-set win in the semifinals at 1:35 a.m. local time, and he was back on the court 14 hours later to play for the title.

Not that Murray had an easy time of it.

He won his second Olympic gold medal in a four-hour match against Juan Martin del Potro in Rio de Janeiro last Sunday, flew directly to Cincinnati, caught a nasty head cold, and struggled to get through the week as his worn-out body repeatedly tightened up.

By the time he reached the semifinals, Murray appeared to have caught a second wind. He couldn't keep it up on Sunday, playing his 14th match in 15 days.

"I'm very proud of this week,'' Murray said. "Obviously today didn't go how I would have wanted. I certainly didn't expect to get to the final when I got here. It was a very, very positive week. I'm looking forward to a few days' rest.''

The top of the men's bracket was depleted by injuries. Novak Djokovic and defending champion Roger Federer skipped it because of injuries, and Rafael Nadal was beaten early as he works back from a two-month wrist injury.