Andy Murray suffered defeat in the second round of the Rotterdam Open as he fell in straight sets to Felix Auger-Aliassime, while Andrey Rublev and Stefanos Tsitsipas progressed. 

Murray, who triumphed at this tournament in 2009, battled past Alexander Bublik in his opening match but struggled to replicate that form against Auger-Aliassime on Thursday. 

The Scot was never in control against the world number nine, who will face Murray's fellow Briton Cameron Norrie in the quarter-final, as he was downed 6-3 6-4 by the third seed. 

"From the start of the match I was ready and focused and I think that is why I was able to produce a high level from the first point," Auger-Aliassime said on court after his victory.  

"He made me bring out my best tennis and I am really happy with the way I played and that I was able to stay ahead. [To] win in straight sets is a great relief." 

Top seed Tsitsipas, who was a beaten semi-finalist in this event last year, made light work of Ilya Ivashka as he raced to a 6-4 6-1 triumph in just one hour and 11 minutes to tee up a last-eight meeting with Alex de Minaur. 

Reigning champion Rublev cruised past Soonwoo Kwon in similar fashion with a 6-3 6-3 win to secure his seventh straight victory at the ATP 500 tournament. 

Meanwhile, qualifier Jiri Lehecka recovered from a first-set scare against Botic van de Zandschulp to succeed 1-6 6-4 6-4, with Lorenzo Musetti awaiting the Czech in the next round. 

Casper Ruud began his Argentina Open title tilt with an impressively routine defeat of Roberto Carballes Baena.

The Norwegian, who is the top seed, saw off his opponent 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 to set up a quarter-final clash with home hopeful Federico Coria, who defeated Dusan Lajovic 4-6 7-5 6-4.

Ruud was taking to the court for the first time since being in ATP Cup action in early January, with ankle injury ruling him out of the Australian Open.

But on the scene of his maiden ATP title win in 2020, Ruud – who has won five tournaments since – looked in good shape.

"I feel, obviously, very good in Buenos Aires. I was a bit nervous coming back because it's the first time I have to defend a title," he said.

"Everything is a bit different since two years ago. When I won here it was a surprise. I was young.

"[This] was a good start. First time playing on clay in six months, so everything is a bit new again.

"Of course, I prefer to play on clay, but it takes some time to get used to the court and playing points."

Third seed Lorenzo Sonego also advanced through to the last eight in straight sets, the Italian beating Sebastian Baez 6-3 6-3 to set up a meeting with Fernando Verdasco.

Unseeded Spaniard Verdasco, seeking an eighth career title, progressed thanks to a hard-fought 2-6 6-3 7-5 win over Thiago Monteiro.

At the Dallas Open, John Isner won his opening match on home soil with a 7-6 (7-1) 6-7 (7-9) 7-6 (7-5) victory over Kevin Anderson.

Isner will next take on either Vasek Pospisil or Jurij Rodionov, with the qualifiers scheduled to meet on Thursday.

Marcos Giron and Jordan Thompson are also in the quarter-finals after seeing off Liam Broady and Brandan Nakashima respectively.

Novak Djokovic has been included on the entry list for next month's Indian Wells Open despite the tournament requiring all players are vaccinated against COVID-19.

Last month, the world number one and 20-time grand slam winner was deported from Australia on the eve of the Australian Open after his entry visa to the country was cancelled due to him not being vaccinated against coronavirus.

Djokovic believed he was still eligible to enter the country and compete after testing positive for coronavirus in December and making a full recovery.

The Serbian was subsequently sent home as he lost the legal battle that dominated much of the sports news agenda during the early weeks of 2022.

Djokovic is set to make his return to the court at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships later this month, with vaccination not a requirement.

But it is at Indian Wells, where the five-time champion has been announced as a competitor, prompting curiosity about whether more legal battles await or if Djokovic has since been jabbed.

An Indian Wells statement read: "With health and safety as the tournament's top priority, the BNP Paribas Open will require valid proof of full vaccination to enter the Indian Wells Tennis Garden for the tournament.

"For the second consecutive year, the BNP Paribas Open has partnered with CLEAR, the secure identity company, to facilitate the implementation of the venue's mandatory vaccination policy ahead of the 2022 tournament.

"The guidelines for the players are governed by the protocols established by their respective governing bodies, the WTA and ATP, as well as any restrictions established by the United States of America in regard to the vaccination status of international travellers entering the country."

Images of Djokovic do not appear any of the tournament's build-up social media posts nor the website's promotional announcement, while his entry-list inclusion is little more than a footnote – but, crucially, it does include him.

The statement continued: "A power-packed line-up of ATP top-10 players will join [Rafael] Nadal in looking to put together a breakthrough performance in Tennis paradise.

"2021 US Open champion and 2022 Australian Open finalist Daniil Medvedev (world no. 2), 2021 ATP Finals winner Alexander Zverev (world no. 3), and 2021 French Open finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas (world no. 4) will each be in search of their maiden title in the desert.

"Reigning BNP Paribas Open champion Cameron Norrie (world no. 13) will look to replicate his extraordinary 2021 title run, in which he won his first Masters 1000 crown.

"World no. 1 and five-time Indian Wells champion Novak Djokovic is also on the tournament entry list."

Andy Murray set up a second-round clash with Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Rotterdam Open, but fourth seed Hubert Hurkacz was stunned by Lorenzo Musetti. 

Former world number one Murray secured an impressive 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 victory over Alexander Bublik, who entered the tournament on the back of the biggest win of his career over Alexander Zverev in the Montpellier final last week. 

Murray stopped the Kazakh serving out the opening set with a crucial break and appeared in fine form as he closed out the win. 

"There were some tough moments in the first set for both of us. I just managed to come through at the end of it. Some great returns off some big second serves from him at the end and I did a good job," said Murray. 

"It’s not easy playing against someone like that, huge serves, a lot of drop shots and you’ve got to keep your focus and I did that well." 

Up next for Murray is Australian Open quarter-finalist and third seed Auger-Aliassime, who came from a set down to beat qualifier Egor Gerasimov 3-6 6-2 6-2. 

"[Auger-Aliassime] started the year pretty well and is one of the best young players just now," said Murray. "I'll need to be on my game if I want to beat him, but it's a great test for me and we'll see what happens out there." 

Musetti advanced to the quarter-finals after a 6-3 5-7 6-4 triumph over Hurkacz, dropping just one point on his first serve in the decisive set. 

Cameron Norrie defeated Karen Khachanov 6-4 7-6 (7-5) to reach the last eight, while Alex De Minaur was also a 7-6 (8-6) 1-6 6-4 victor against Mackenzie McDonald in the second round.

Defending Rotterdam Open champion Andrey Rublev and world number four Stefanos Tsitsipas won through their opening tests, but Denis Shapovalov will not be in round two.

Rublev beat Henri Laaksonen 6-4 6-4 on Tuesday, while top seed Tsitsipas went the distance before edging out Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-5 6-7 (1-7) 6-4 after two hours and 39 minutes on the court.

Reflecting on his win, Tsitsipas was full of praise for his opponent, saying: "It was a great battle; he gave me some of the best tennis I have seen him play.

"He was very fired up today and making the best out of every single shot. He was hitting huge winners from behind the baseline. He's one of the best young players who I have played."

However, world number 12 Shapovalov had no such luck, as he slumped to a surprise defeat to Czech qualifier Jiri Lehecka.

The world number 137 saw off the Canadian 6-4 6-4, showing impressive resolve to hold serve at 4-2 in the first set after initially going 0-40 down.

Shapovalov converted just one of 11 break points offered up by Lehecka as he failed to build on an impressive run to the Australian Open quarter-finals last month.

Aslan Karatsev, who won a title in Sydney in January, was another seed to drop out, after his 2-6 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-0) defeat to home favourite Tallon Griekspoor.

Griekspoor has enjoyed some big wins in this tournament in the past, having defeated Stan Wawrinka and Karen Khachanov in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

Khachanov, too, was in action on Tuesday; unlike his Russian compatriot Karatsev, Khachanov took his place in round two with a 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 7-6 (7-6) defeat of Alexei Popyrin.

Lorenzo Musetti and Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp also progressed.

Juan Martin del Potro was reduced to tears in what he expects to be his final tennis match as the former US Open champion bowed out of the Argentina Open.

The 33-year-old Argentinian lost 6-1 6-3 to fellow Argentinian Federico Delbonis in Buenos Aires, having come back from four rounds of knee surgery to get back on court.

He saved seven of 12 break points in a determined effort against Delbonis, but Del Potro, who had been on the injured list since June 2019, was in no shape to compete for victory over his compatriot.

One of the most popular players on the tour, who might have achieved many more great things had wrist and knee trouble not played him over the last decade, Del Potro bid an emotional farewell.

The moment got to Del Potro as he prepared to serve at 5-3 down in the second set. His emotions spilled out, with a towel failing to mask his tears as a passionate crowd rallied behind him, chanting: "Ole, ole, ole, ole, Delpo, Delpo."

A fan carried a flag bearing the message: "The Tower of Tandil keeps fighting. Thank you." Tandil is Del Potro's home city.

After the match, Del Potro said: "The truth is that this is a moment I never wanted to come. Health leads me to have to make a decision: I made too much effort in these two and a half years.

"Sometimes I can lose. I do not have the strength that everyone believes. I think I fulfilled all the dreams in tennis and the most difficult thing to achieve, which is the affection of the people.

"I feel like I've given it all. This is a day I never wanted to come, but I'm going to remember it for the rest of my life."

He was relieved to be leaving on his own terms, saying: "Now I am calm because my last match was possibly on the court and not in a press conference. I will always remember this."

Del Potro, whose US Open triumph came when he beat Roger Federer in a sensational 2009 final, has accepted a wildcard to the upcoming Rio Open, but he signalled he is unlikely to now take that up.

"Yes, I was planning to go to Rio," he said, quoted by La Nacion. "But... I think I already gave everything until the last point."

Del Potro was an Olympic silver medallist in 2016, beaten in the Rio final by Andy Murray, and later in the same year he helped Argentina win the Davis Cup.

It was fitting that Delbonis, who won the decisive rubber against Croatia after Del Potro was victorious in both his singles matches, was the man on the other side of the net on Tuesday. He and Del Potro shared a long, affectionate hug at the net at the end of the match.

Del Potro's mother, Patricia, was among those in the crowd. The ATP said it was the first time she had attended one of his matches. She was pictured embracing her son off court after the match ended.

Other matches happened in Buenos Aires on Tuesday too, a highlight being Brazilian Thiago Monteiro's 6-3 6-3 win over seventh seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

At the Dallas Open, first-round winners included Jack Sock, Jordan Thompson and Liam Broady.

Serbian fifth seed Dusan Lajovic fought back from a set down to triumph over Benoit Paire in the Argentina Open first round while Spanish veteran Fernando Verdasco also progressed on Monday.

Lajovic, who is currently ranked 37th in the world, beat 50th-ranked Paire 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7-3) in just over two hours in Buenos Aires.

In a tight match, the Serbian got the edge in the third-set tiebreak as his first serve seldom let him down.

Former top 10 player Verdasco, now 38-years-old, defeated Bolivian Hugo Dellien 6-4 3-6 6-1 in two hours and two minutes.

Serbian eighth seed Laslo Dere got past compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic 6-4 1-6 6-1, while Argentine pair Federico Coria and Francisco Cerundolo also progressed.

Meanwhile at the Dallas Open, veteran South African Kevin Anderson proved too good for Sam Querrey 6-4 6-4.

The 35-year-old former US Open and Wimbledon finalist sent down 21 aces as he won in little over an hour.

Emerging American Brandon Nakashima defeated Australian John Millman 7-5 7-6 (7-3) in the first round.

Hubert Hurkacz bounced back from a disappointing Australian Open campaign with a straight-sets win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam.

Fourth seed Hurkacz, who was beaten in the second round in Melbourne by Adrian Mannarino, saw off wildcard Tsonga 6-4 7-6 (9-7) in one hour and 32 minutes.

"Jo is an amazing player and competitor," Hurkacz said of the former world number five.

"He brought a really high level and it was a really tough match for me and he is definitely on the way back.

"Jo has achieved so much in his career and playing against him you can see why with his shots and his serve. I appreciated playing him and I am happy with the win today."

World number 11 Hurkacz will face either Lorenzo Musetti or Mikael Ymer in the second round.

Sixth seed Cameron Norrie overcame Ugo Humbert 6-2 6-4, while eighth seed Nikoloz Basilashvili was dumped out by American Mackenzie McDonald 6-3 6-2.

McDonald will face Alex de Minaur in the next round after the Australian swatted aside David Goffin 6-0 6-3.

"I think I played really well," De Minaur said. "I played exactly how I wanted to. My coach and I set up a plan about how we wanted to play this match and I managed to execute it.

"It is a very good feeling. Mentally I thought I was very solid and positive and that is one of the main aspects I am trying to focus on this year."

Albert Ramos Vinolas has fought back from a set down and a final-set double break down to win the Cordoba Open over Chilean qualifier Alejandro Tabilo on Sunday.

Spanish Sixth seed Ramos Vinolas won 4-6 6-3 6-4 in two hours and 40 minutes to claim his fourth career title.

The 34-year-old, who is ranked 44th in the world, trailed 4-1 in the third set, down two breaks but rallied back to win the next five games to clinch victory.

Tabilo had knocked out top seed Diego Schwartzman in the semi-finals and looked on course for victory after winning the first set when he sent down five aces.

The Chilean got a break ahead in both the second and third sets but could not hold his composure under pressure.

Ramos Vinolas was excellent on his return in the third set converting three of four break points, with the tiring Tabilo failing to have any aces in the deciding set.

The Spaniard, whose last title was in Estoril in 2021, improves to 4-7 in Finals at the ATP Level.

Alexander Bublik claimed his first ATP Tour title with a stunning straight-sets victory over Alexander Zverev in the Open Sud de France final.

The 24-year-old went into Sunday's match without a career win over a top-five opponent and having lost two finals in a career-best season in 2021.

He was not to be denied this time, however, powering his way to a 6-4 6-3 win over the world number three in Montpellier in just one hour and 10 minutes.

The Kazakhstani lost just four points behind his first serve throughout the match, the only blip coming when he handed Zverev a break back to love after moving 3-2 ahead in the first set.

After regaining the advantage, Bublik survived two more break points before closing out the opener and the pressure only increased on the Zverev serve in the second set.

Bublik broke to love to lead 3-2 and again in the final game as Zverev's resistance wilted.

He can now look forward to rising to a career-high place in the rankings when the updated list is published on Monday.

Joao Sousa won his first ATP Tour title since 2018 as he defeated Emil Ruusuvuori in the final of the Tata Open Maharashtra in Pune on Sunday.

Ruusuvuori initially gave a good account of himself in his first final on the tour, but he was ultimately blown away in the final set as Sousa won 7-6 (11-9) 4-6 6-1.

After sealing the first set in a tense tie-break, Sousa appeared set to cruise to victory when an early break in the second had him 3-0 up.

But Ruusuvuori then won five games in a row at 4-1 down to fight back brilliantly and force a decider.

Sousa had too much for him in the end, however, an early break in the third set seeing momentum shift the 32-year-old's way and give him the boost he needed to claim a first title since winning on home soil in Estoril in May 2018.

Andy Murray has decided to skip the entire clay court season, including the French Open, as he feels the surface aggravated "issues" in the past.

Former world number one Murray has endured a torrid time with injuries in the past few years, but he has featured more regularly since the second half of last season.

While he only made it as far as the second round at last month's Australian Open, his preparation for the year's opening grand slam saw him reach a first final on the ATP Tour since October 2019.

He lost to Aslan Karatsev in the decider of the Sydney Classic, going down 6-3 6-3, but the Scot's run to the final provided evidence he still has plenty to offer.

Murray will not be playing in the next grand slam, though.

The eyes of the tennis world will be on Roland Garros in late May and early June, but Murray is opting to miss that and every other event on clay for fear of worsening his condition, with Wimbledon scheduled to begin on June 27.

"Right now, I am not planning on playing through the clay," the three-time grand slam winner said.

"The past couple of years, the clay has made issues worse; last year I had some issues at the beginning of the year, the clay didn't help, so I've spoken to my team about that and this year while I feel good and healthy, I don't want to take that risk.

"It's not that I wouldn't potentially play on clay in the future. Last year I almost missed Wimbledon, was close to not playing the grass season. I'm not planning on playing the clay. I will still try to compete a bit during that period, I won't do nothing, that's my plan just now.

"I had a busy end of last year and the next couple of months I won't take any risks and hopefully get a good build up to the grass season."

Murray parted ways with long-term coach Jamie Delgado in December and then decided against making Jan de Witt a permanent member of his team following a trial period leading up to and through the Australian Open.

The 34-year-old is now once again working with Dani Vallverdu, Stan Wawrinka's coach, having teamed up with him between 2010 and 2014.

But Murray accepts the situation is far from ideal, with Vallverdu only available while Wawrinka continues his rehabilitation from a foot injury that has kept him out since March last year.

"It's not been easy to find someone," Murray added.

"Obviously, Stan Wawrinka has been rehabbing for quite a long time and is hopefully coming back to the tour, but he agreed for Dani to come and work with me for a few weeks over the next month or so, which is great for me in the short term, but still trying to find a longer-term solution.

"It's not that straightforward, I'm not as in demand as a few years ago. Ultimately, I want it to be the right person. I'm aware there's no perfect setup, but medium, longer term I want some stability and will try and get that in the next few weeks."

Qualifier Alejandro Tabilo stunned top seed Diego Schwartzman to progress to his first ATP Tour final at the Cordoba Open.

Schwartzman, the world number 14, had been hoping to win a title on home soil in Argentina for the second time in his career.

But his Chilean opponent continued his remarkable run with a 6-3 7-6 (8-6) upset, the world number 144 now having won 12 successive sets at the tournament stretching back to qualifying.

Tabilo only won his first title on the Challenger Tour in November but has carried that momentum through into 2022.

"I've been playing my best tennis for a few months now and I finished the year strong," said Tabilo.

"I think I just needed one of these weeks to kind of click and get going. Hopefully this is the start of something good, and hopefully I can keep this level."

Tabilo will face Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the final after the Spaniard beat another home hope in Juan Ignacio Londero.

Ramos-Vinolas prevailed 7-6 (7-4) 6-4, surpassing his own expectations after a first-round exit at the Australian Open.

"When I came here after Australia, I didn't expect to be in the final, to be honest," he said.

"I was not playing my best. The pre-season [I worked] very hard but the feeling was not very good.

"Now I'm in the final. The only thing I can do is try to fight as much as I can."

Alexander Zverev will face Alexander Bublik in the Open Sud de France final after easing to victory over Mikael Ymer on Saturday.

The top seed is seeking a 20th tour-level title and has yet to drop a set in his three matches in Montpellier after beating Bublik 6-1 6-3.

Ymer eliminated Gael Monfils and Richard Gasquet en route to the semi-finals, but the world number 83 struggled against Zverev in his third straight loss to the German. 

Zverev was triumphant in his last appearance in this tournament five years ago and is the strong favourite heading into Sunday's final with Bublik.

"I am in the final and I am happy about that," Zverev said in his on-court interview. "I played a pretty good match. I think I played one bad game in the whole match. 

"Overall I am happy to be in another final, playing against Alex who I have known since I was 12 years old, so hopefully it will be a fun match."

Bublik also claimed a routine win in his semi-final against Filip Krajinovic, the sixth seed prevailing 6-4 6-2 in a little over an hour.

The 24-year-old is through to his fifth ATP Tour final, having most recently gone all the way at the Singapore Open last February, where he lost to Alexei Popyrin.

At the Tata Open Maharashtra, Mikael's older brother Elias Ymer squandered three match points to lose 5-7 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 to Joao Sousa in Pune.

The Swedish qualifier had defied the odds to make it to the semi-finals and took the opening set against Sousa, before recovering from 4-1 down to level up the second set 4-4.

But Sousa edged the tie-break and survived three match points in the 10th game of the deciding set, which he would go on to win.

Sousa will face Emil Ruusuvuori in Sunday's final after the world number 87 overcame Kamil Majchrzak 6-3 7-6 (7-0) earlier in the day.

It marks the first tour final that Ruusuvuori has reached, while Sousa is in the hunt for a fourth title at this level.

Diego Schwartzman survived a scare from lucky loser Daniel Elahi Galan to reach the semi-finals of the Cordoba Open.

Top seed Schwartzman lost the first set to this Colombian opponent, but recovered to prevail 3-6 6-0 7-5.

Yet the Argentine still had to battle to clinch the decisive set, dropping serve when attempting to wrap up the match at 5-3.

He recovered from that setback and is just two wins away from his second title on home soil, having won in Buenos Aires last year.

Schwartzman will face qualifier Alejandro Tabilo in the last four.

Albert Ramos-Vinolas, seeded sixth, beat fourth seed Lorenzo Sonego in straight sets to book his place in the semis, where he will face Juan Ignacio Londero.