- Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares won the Australian Open title
- As a result Murray is ranked No 2 behind Brazilian Marcelo Melo
- Since the ATP and WTA rankings were introduced in the 1970s for singles and 1980s for doubles, no British player has topped the standings
- The Scot could move top of the rankings next week at the Miami Open
By
Published:
01:39 GMT, 18 March 2016
|
Updated:
02:01 GMT, 18 March 2016
Jamie Murray will have to wait to become world number one in doubles after he and Brazilian partner Bruno Soares were beaten in the quarter-finals of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
Victory over Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez would have seen Murray become the first British player ever to be officially ranked world No 1.
But the Spanish pair spoiled the party with a 6-7,(2) 7-6,(2),10-8 victory over the Australian Open champions.

Feliciano Lopez and Mark Lopez celebrate after progressing into the semi-finals at Indian Wells

Jamie Murray (top) would have moved to world No 1 in doubles had he and partner Bruno Soares won

Murray and Soares, the Australian Open champions, celebrate on route to taking the first set on a tie-break
Since the ATP and WTA rankings were introduced in the 1970s for singles and 1980s for doubles, no British player has topped the standings.
Murray reached number two after winning his first grand slam men’s doubles title in Melbourne in January in only his third tournament with Soares.
The opportunity to take over top spot arrived sooner than he had expected after incumbent Marcelo Melo and Ivan Dodig lost their first-round match in California.
The occasion looked like it might have got to Murray when he dropped his opening service game but Feliciano Lopez faltered serving for the first set and Murray and Soares dominated the tie-break.
Lopez and Lopez were the only pair to have beaten Murray and Soares this season, at their first tournament together in Doha.

Feliciano Lopez (right), who lost to Novak Djokovic in singles, has reached the doubles semi-finals on Thursday
Murray and Soares saved three points to take the second to a tie-break but made a bad start and could not recover.
That sent the contest into a match tie-break and Murray and Soares looked good at 5-3 up but the Spaniards fought back.
Murray’s next chance to top the standings will come at the Miami Open next week.

Soares (left) and Murray were taken to a match tie-break against the Spaniards but narrowly lost 10-8
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