Andy Murray says Cincinnati defeat won't matter much

Olympic champion Andy Murray was sent crashing out of the Cincinnati Masters on Thursday, falling 6-4, 6-4 to French lucky loser Jeremy Chardy.u00a0Britain's Murray won a match in Toronto last week before quitting with a knee injury but had looked impressive in his opener here against American Sam Querrey.

Andy Murray returns to Jeremy Chardy during Thursday's pre-quarters tie. PIC/AFPu00a0

But the 25-year-old Murray was distinctly under-cooked against Chardy and his 16th unforced error of the second set sent the Frenchman into the last eight.u00a0"This was like my second or third match in the hard court. I played well yesterday; didn't play so well today," said Murray.

Jeremy Chardy

"Sometimes I've won tournaments in the buildup (to a major) and it hasn't helped me. That doesn't normally have that much bearing. But I would have liked to have done a bit better this week," he said, with the US Open on the horizon.

Federer cruises
Four-time champion and top seed Roger Federer turned in another flawless performance, schooling Australian teenager Bernard Tomic 6-2, 6-4 with 27 winners.u00a0"I'm happy. But it's hard to judge my game in these quick conditions," said Federer.u00a0