Aces and advertising boards - Andy Murray's Metz run ended by Hubert Hurkacz

Andy Murray now heads to San Diego after defeat in Metz.

Murray had been in good form this week in eastern France, but he failed to take his chances against the Pole and exits the tournament at the quarter-final stage following a 7-6 (7/4) 6-1 loss.

Murray, ranked 113 in the world, was facing an opponent ranked one hundred places above him. Hurkacz has been in excellent form this season, winning the Miami Masters and reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon, and while Murray caused him some consternation in the first set, the Scot was unable to keep his level high enough to overpower the 24-year-old.

After defeating fifth seed Ugo Humbert in three sets and then dispatching Vasek Pospisil 6-3, 6-3, Murray looked to be hitting a vein of form on the indoor hard courts of Metz, where he reached the final back in 2007.

He started the match well, and in the first set reeled off 16 winning points on his serve in a row after fending off a break point in the opening game.

Murray was left to rue the eighth game, when he had three break points. However, Hurkacz – who has strong first serve – dug deep and got himself out of trouble, with Murray lamenting an electronic advertising hoarding changing its image as he was trying to return serve.

These two met in Cincinnati last month and the first set went to a tie-break there, with Hurkacz winning it 7-4 after escaping break opportunities. History appeared to be repeating itself in Metz as the Pole forced a first-set breaker, winning it by that very same scoreline after Murray was left luckless by a net-cord on set point.

Murray, who was audibly angry at how the first set panned out, needed to rally in the second set, but some loose groundstrokes in the fourth game allowed Hurkacz to fashion two break points, and he converted his second to move ahead.

Pegging Hurkacz back at this stage would prove to be a tough ask, with the Pole firing down unreturnable serves. Murray did make Hurkacz work to serve it out, with the Scot saving two match points and creating a break point, but the World No 13 snuffed it out with an ace – his 13th of the match – to win the second set 6-3 and record a mirror image of the scoreline in Ohio last month.

Hurkacz will now play qualifier Peter Gojowczyk, a former champion in Metz, in the semi-finals after the German overcame American Marcos Giron in three sets. Gojowczyk is in good form, having recently made the last 16 of the US Open.

Murray is scheduled to play the San Diego Open in California next week, which is an ATP 250 event similar in field quality to Metz. He will then hope to be involved in the Masters 1000 series event in Indian Wells, which is dubbed as the “fifth slam”.

"Andy is an unbelievable competitor and playing at a very high level,” said Hurkacz after the match. "It’s special to play Andy Murray.

"I really like it here, and enjoy the atmosphere. The surface suits me.”