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Murray, playing in his first final since the European Open in
Antwerp in October 2019, started tentatively and was broken in
the first game of the match as Karatsev raced into an early lead
after a couple of solid holds.
Three-times major winner Murray struggled on serve throughout
the opening set, landing just 48% of his first serves and
committing four double faults.
The second set began much like the first as the 28-year-old
Karatsev broke early to seize the advantage, consistently
hurting Murray with a barrage of powerful winners from the back
of the court.
Murray showed glimpses of his old self in the fifth game that
lasted nearly 13 minutes as the Briton battled valiantly to get
a break back, but Karatsev weathered the storm and held on,
eventually taking the match in one hour 32 minutes to claim his
third career title.
"I'd like to thank my team for all their help this week. First
time back in the final for three years, it has been a long road
to get here, but thanks for your help," Murray, who has faced
lengthy layoffs following two hip surgeries, said in an on-court
interview.
Earlier, Spanish world number nine Paula Badosa held off French
Open champion Barbora Krejcikova 6-3 4-6 7-6(4) to clinch the
women's title.
(Reporting by Dhruv Munjal in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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