Wimbledon 2014: Jamie Murray unable to last as long as Andy

Bid for Wimbledon doubles crown ended by Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares

John Peers of Australia (l) and Jamie Murray of Great Britain (r) during their Gentlemen's Doubles third round defeat (GETTY IMAGES)

The favourite Murray is out. Jamie, the “No 1 son” as his little brother calls him, saw his quest to add a Wimbledon doubles crown to the mixed doubles title he won seven years ago ended in the third round as second seeds Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares won a see-sawing five setter on Court 18.

Playing with John Peers and, of course, watched by his mother, Judy, Murray was on court for a minute short of three and a half hours – and will be back on the same court later to play mixed doubles with the Australian Casey Dellacqua, a finalist last year.

Murray and Peers started slowly, Peers losing his opening service game to give Peya and Soares an advantage they never looked like squandering in the opening set. The Austrian and Brazilian hurried through it with the rest of the set going to serve. It was done in 35 minutes.

Video: Judy Murray on Andy's approach to this year's tournament

There was not to be another break of serve in the next two sets. Murray and his Australian partner struggled to make any sustained impact against either Peya or Soares’s serve and frequently had to battle to save their own. But save it they did and once they had forced a tie break in the second set they seized their chance, hurrying into a 4-0 lead before levelling the match.

The third set was a carbon copy of the second, only without the happy ending for the Murray clan. Murray and Peers clung on, Murray saving three break points on his serve in the 10th game, but this time the tie break went emphatically to the favourites. Murray and Peers had to make a mark on their opponents serve and finally in the eighth game of their win-or-bust fourth set they forced a first break point – and took it.

Peya and Soares have established a hold over their opponents over the last year, beating Murray and Peers four times, including in the final at Queen’s last month. They needed only one chance in the deciding set to settle it once again in their favour – in the fourth game, on Murray’s serve, he pushed a volley into the net and Peya and Soares had the break and completed victory 6-3 6-7 7-6 3-6 6-3.

The Bryan brothers, perennial doubles champions here (and everywhere), are also through to the last eight, the top seeds beating Juan-Sebastian Cabal and Marcin Matkowski.