Alex de Minaur of Australia won a battle of courage and determination, beating the former World No. 1 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals at the ATP Zhuhai Open on Thursday.

Two and a half hours had already past before De Minaur broke at 4-4 when Murray netted a backhand. The 20-year-old held his serve and erasing three break points to seal the victory.

"My feeling tonight was that at points I played very well, but I didn't feel like I was able to sustain my level," Murray said after the match.

"I think just being able to sustain my level for longer and hopefully that comes with matches," he added.

Murray won his first ATP Tour singles match on Tuesday over American Tennys Sandgren since hip surgery in January. After a day's rest, he started slow and handed over his second service game. But the 32-year-old found his rhythm and broke back twice to seal the first set.

De Minaur bounced back in the second to break Murray twice and pulled the match into a decider.

The Aussie will face Croatian Borna Coric for a spot in the semifinals, who earlier eased past Wu Di of China 6-3, 6-3.

After Zhuhai Open, Murray will compete in the China Open and the Shanghai Masters. 

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