Beaten Murray happy with 'perfect' U.S. Open preparations

CINCINNATI, Ohio (Reuters) - World number two Andy Murray will go into the U.S. Open full of confidence despite seeing his hopes of back-to-back Masters Series titles end in the semi-finals in Cincinnati on Saturday.

Holder Murray was beaten 6-2 7-6 by world number one Roger Federer, only the third time he has lost to the Swiss in their nine meetings.

Having won the title in Montreal, Murray was hoping to become only the fourth man to win the Canada and Cincinnati Masters back-to-back.

The Scot battled hard in the second set and forced two set points in the tiebreak but could not take them and Federer snatched it 10-8.

Murray, though, was keen to accentuate the positives.

"I was just happy that I managed to keep it close in the second set because I returned poorly and served poorly," Murray said. "Against Roger, if you do both of those things, it's going to be very, very difficult.

"I stayed strong and played some good points from the back. Obviously I had chances to win the second set. I thought that was a pretty good effort because that was not one of my best performances."

Winning in Montreal lifted Murray above Rafael Nadal into the No 2 spot and the 22-year-old said he was delighted with his efforts overall.

"I think I've had a good, good few weeks," he said. "It's been perfect preparation for the U.S. Open."

Murray, who is still chasing his first grand slam title, reached the final at the U.S. Open last year, losing to Federer in straight sets. This year's tournament starts on August 31.

(Editing by Dave Thompson)