NEW YORK - Andy Murray's US Open hopes were shattered on Saturday as he lost 6-3, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 to South Korean veteran Lee Hyung-Taik.
The 20-year-old Scot, on the comeback trail after a summer wrecked by a wrist injury, struggled to impose his game against the experienced 31-year-old, who has been playing some of the best tennis of his career in recent weeks.
Only in the third set did Murray take full command in keeping with his tag of favourite, breaking early to take Lee into a fourth set.
The Korean nosed ahead but he clearly tightened up when serving for the match at 5-2, allowing Murray to save one match point before the Scot broke back to keep his hopes alive.
Brad Gilbert's charge levelled at 5-5, but two games later Murray misfired badly on his own serve and Lee gleefully took advantage to clinch the win.
Murray's defeat means that Britain will have no representative in the second week of the year's final Grand Slam, the veteran Tim Henman having closed out his career with a four-sets loss to France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Friday.
Lee reached the last 16 of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since his debut at the 2000 US Open. He is the last Asian player left in the singles competitions.
09/02/2007 01:46 GMT