Andy Murray v Jakub Mensik LIVE: Qatar Open tennis result and reaction as Murray loses marathon match

Big trouble now as another drop shot is too telegraphed and Mensik slams the half-court forehand past Murray. Two break points for Mensik.

He only needs one! Sustained deep hitting from Mensik creates the chance and he puts away the smash. Mensik breaks Murray to 15.

*denotes next to serve

Mensik ventures into the net but Murray picks him off with a thumping two-handed backhand pass down the line. Less success with the drop shot from the Brit on the next point as Mensik reads it and then another attempted drop doesn’t clear the net.

Trouble for Murray at 15-30?

*denotes next to serve

We promised a big serve from Mensik and he delivers with an ace from his very first point. The next serve locks up Murray for another quick win before a second ace makes it 40-0.

A pair of forehands go long to give Murray a sniff at 40-30 but an unreturned serve bails him out. Solid stuff from the 18-year-old.

*denotes next to serve

The wind is whipping around centre court here in Doha. Murray already struggling with the ball toss on a couple of occasions.

Heavy ground strokes help take Mensik to 15-30 but Murray comes out on top in a couple of long rallies and the Czech then goes long as the Scot digs out a hold to 30.

*denotes next to serve

Murray to serve and wins the first point of the match very nicely. A 10-stroke rally, he moves Mensik around and eventually the Czech teenager nets.

*denotes next to serve

Warm-ups complete. Here we go in Doha. This could be an absolute cracker – a real test for each man, for different reasons.

How will Murray cope with the big-serving, heavy-hitting and youthful fearlessness of Mensik? And how will Mensik deal with the veteran savvy and 15 years of top-level experience of Murray? Only one way to find out!

Khachanov wraps up his win over Marozsan 6-4, 7-5 in the previous match on centre, so Andy Murray and Jakub Mensik are heading out on court in Doha now.

We’ll be underway imminently. Can Murray build on his win over Alexandre Muller yesterday against the big-serving, 18-year-old Mensik – a rising star in the game. Should be a fascinating clash. Andy Murray v Jakub Mensik – get excited!

We might not be far away from Murray and Mensik getting on court in Doha. Second seed Karen Khachanov is currently serving for the match against Fabian Marozsan at 6-4, 6-5 ahead. Once that game is done, it will be Murray time.

Here’s what Andy Murray had to say courtside after his win over Alexandre Muller yesterday, to end his losing streak that stretched back to October.

Murray said: “Last few months have been tough on the court for me, clearly not won many matches and lost a lot of close ones as well, it was getting close at the end there, delighted to get through, so many people came out to watch for a first-round match.

“Proud I managed to get through the match and get another win, happy for my team, who have been working hard and trying to find solutions. Hopefully this is the start of a better run.

“I saw a little bit of his [Jakub Mensik] match today, he’s very promising, young player, huge serve, moves well for a big guy. New on the tour, every tournament and match will be a learning experience and a good opportunity. I’ll watch some video and get a better idea. I’ve seen a little bit but not loads.”

Jakub Mensik is undoubtedly one of the rising stars of men’s tennis and he followed up the impressive run to the third round at last year’s US Open with a second-round appearance at the Australian Open last month.

He beat Denis Shpovalov in round one and then pushed top-10 player Hubert Hurkacsz to five sets in the second round. And the teenager has talked about the confidence those wins gave him.

“The Australian Open was a great tournament for me,” Mensik told ATPTour.com. “The qualifying rounds were pretty tough, but I came through and then against Dennis Shapovalov, he is a former top 10 player, so I was very happy with that performance and win.

“The second round with Hubert Hurkacz also. That was the second time I played against [a] top 10 player. Last year it was at the US Open against Taylor Fritz. And now with Hurkacz, playing five sets, around three hours. It was just a great experience.

“The match with Hurkacz is something that I compared with the match against Fritz. Last year, I played Fritz in the third round and he just beat me out of the court. Four months later, I played against the same kind of level of player and now it was five sets.

“I just can see the improvement and also it gave me so much confidence for the future. It’s very tough to get through the Challenger Tour and all the players which are there also want to play these ATP Tour events like here [in Doha]. But I now have the confidence that I can play with these big guys and that I can really beat the big guys.”