Andy Murray crashes out to David Ferrer at Shanghai Masters

It was a crushing 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 setback for Murray, who has won seven of their previous 12 meetings and must now scramble if he is to make next month’s season finale in London.

David Ferrer of Spain returns a shot against Andy Murray of Britain during their men's singles third round match at the Shanghai Masters in Shanghai, China, Thursday, on October 9, 2014. (AP Photo/VinShow more

SHANGHAI // David Ferrer boosted his chances of qualifying for the ATP finals with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 win over Andy Murray on Thursday to reach the quarterfinals of the Shanghai Masters.

Both Murray and Ferrer are fighting to claim one of the remaining spots in the eight-man tournament next month in London. With the win, Ferrer will now pass Murray into ninth place in the standings, just behind Milos Raonic in eighth.

Murray had played far more tennis than the fresher Ferrer in recent weeks, winning a title in Shenzhen and making the semifinals of the China Open. The Spaniard, meanwhile, was coming off two straight opening-round losses.

“He literally barely missed a ball for about a set and a half,” Murray said. “I couldn’t find a way around him.”

Murray will now try to build on his momentum over the rest of the season to make a push for London. Besides last year when he was recovering from back surgery, Murray has played in the season-ending championships every year since 2008.

“There’s still obviously a few more weeks left in the season,” Murray said. “I’ve played some pretty good tennis.”

Sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych also reached the quarterfinals, beating Ivo Karlovic 6-3, 6-4. Berdych will next face Gilles Simon of France, a 6-2, 6-3 winner over qualifier Malek Jaziri.

French veteran Julien Benneteau ended the run of Jack Sock, beating the American 6-3, 6-4. Sock had beaten the first top-10 player in his career, Kei Nishikori, in the previous round.

Shanghai Masters results from Thursday

Men’s Singles, Third Round

David Ferrer (5), Spain, def. Andy Murray (11), Britain, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2. Tomas Berdych (6), Czech Republic, def. Ivo Karlovic, Croatia, 6-3, 6-4. Gilles Simon, France, def. Malek Jaziri, Tunisia, 6-2, 6-3. Mikhail Youzhny, Russia, def. Juan Monaco, Argentina, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2. Julien Benneteau, France, def. Jack Sock, United States, 6-3, 6-4. –––

Men’s Doubles, Quarterfinals

Julien Benneteau, France, and Edouard Roger-Vasselin (5), France, def. Alexander Peya, Austria, and Bruno Soares (3), Brazil, 3-6, 6-3, 10-7.

Second Round

Ivan Dodig, Croatia, and Marcelo Melo (4), Brazil, def. Santiago Giraldo, Colombia, and Scott Lipsky, United States, 6-3, 3-6, 10-6.

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