Andy Murray’s chances of qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals suffered a setback as he lost 2-6 6-1 6-2 to David Ferrer in the third round of the Shanghai Masters.
Murray, 27, made an impressive start, losing just four points on his serve in a brilliant display in the first set.
But as Ferrer upped the aggression, the British number one’s second serve became less reliable.
The Spaniard, 32, now overtakes Murray in the ‘race to London’ standings.
The top eight players in the ATP rankings qualify for the World Tour Finals in November, and Murray would have moved to within five points of a top-eight spot had he beaten the world number five.
Instead, Ferrer rises to ninth in the rankings on 3,715 points, while the Briton drops a place to 10th on 3,655 points – although not all hope of playing at the 02 Arena is lost for Murray.
But the defeat means he is more likely to compete at the Valencia Open, which starts on 20 October and provides 500 ranking points to the winner, as well as the Paris Masters from 27 October.
