Andy Murray was defeated by David Ferrer 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 36 minutes at the Rome Masters.

"I am a little bit disappointed but I'm also happy with the way I hit the ball and I'm playing a lot of matches on tour so if I keep hitting the ball like that then I think I will do pretty good in a tournament soon," said Murray. "[There were] a lot of good points but I couldn't convert my chances. I wasn't able to create more break point opportunities and my serve wasn’t good. I am a lot happier today than I was last year. Today I was able to run after the ball and I fought until the end."

David Ferrer with a 21-3 match record on clay leads the ATP World Tour this season.

"Maybe this season is my best of my career on clay courts," said Ferrer. "I’ve never won a lot of matches like this year and I’m happy for that. I think my game is very physical, very mental – it’s important for me, winning matches on clay courts, my favourite surface."

Andy Murray crashes out of Rome Masters