Mastery of the court, subtle shifts from defence to attack, utterly composed at the net, without blemish off the ground, exemplary use of the drop shot and the absolute epitome of rock-solid determination. These are all characteristics that make Andy Murray such a wonderful player, but yesterday they were the foundations upon which David Nalbandian swept to a victory that reduced the British No 1 to racket-swishing frustration.

Murray’s hope of an historic third successive Masters, after his victories in Cincinnati and Madrid, was dashed by the 26-year-old, who played in his first final in a grand-slam tournament at 20 and has spent the rest of his career unable to build on that in championship terms while making hay at the times when more noted players have craved rest and recuperation and taken their eye off the ball.

Nalbandian has an excellent chance of retaining his BNP Paribas crown and returning to Shanghai for the Masters Cup he won three years ago, not only because Murray is out of the way — dispatched 7-6, 6-3 in one of the most enthralling matches of the year — but also because Roger Federer withdrew as a precaution from his quarter-final against James Blake, of the United States, with a twinge in his back and then Rafael Nadal, the world No 1, forfeited after losing the opening set to Nikolay Davydenko. The Wimbledon champion’s legs were sore.

Murray has spent four months since Wimbledon collecting titles and plaudits, reaching the US Open final, stretching his horizons, flummoxing a raft of opponents with intelligent, quick-witted, physically honed tennis. Before picking the odd hole in yesterday’s performance — and there were one or two — it is worth recounting that he heads to China for the Tennis Masters Cup this month as the world No 4, with designs on better and every right to expect more from himself.

Since the Davis Cup defeat by Austria in September, from Madrid via St Petersburg to France, Murray won 14 successive matches, dropping one set in the process and not having to hang tough too often. Until yesterday. From the first game it was clear that Nalbandian was fine-tuned. It seemed every Murray service game might yield a break and the Briton required all his resource to hang in.

Then he had a chance, his only chance as it emerged, having into a position at 5-5, 15-30, to make a forehand cross-court winner from a flicked backhand overhead from the Argentinian. He sent the ball into the net. Nalbandian closed that game out and with Murray making only one first serve in five in the tie-break, did the same there.

From 2-0 down in the second set, Murray hauled himself level. Just when you were thinking “game on”, Nalbandian pounced once more, although his decision to challenge a second serve at 30-all in the fifth game, when he had waited to see where his backhand landed before demanding a second look, went against the spirit of the rule. “I’m glad that I played against a guy as good as him and it took him to play a great match to beat me,” Murray said.

In the evening session, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the improving Frenchman, beat Andy Roddick, the American No 7 seed after a third-set tie-break.