Murray beaten by Mayer in Qatar

The third-seeded Briton, who beat Mousa Zayed 6-0 6-0 in the first round, led 3-0 in the second set before Mayer won five games in a row and the world number 40 dominated the decider in Doha to seal victory in just under two hours.

(Reuters)

Murray, the world number four, will head to Melbourne for this month's Australian Open having played only two exhibitions and two ATP Tour matches since undergoing back surgery in September.

(Writing by Ed Osmond in London)