World number one Andy Murray was knocked out 6-2 3-6 6-4 by Austria’s Dominic Thiem in the semi-finals of the Barcelona Open on Saturday.
Thiem became the first Austrian since Thomas Muster in 1996 to reach the final of the claycourt tournament after subduing Murray for the first time in his career.
Just as in Friday’s gruelling quarter-final with Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Murray got off to a bad start.
The Briton relied on his serve to recover the second set but could not sustain the level and bowed out.
Thiem will meet either nine-times Barcelona Open champion Rafael Nadal or Argentine Horacio Zeballos in Sunday’s final.