Andy Murray refused to be downbeat after seeing a 28-match winning run come to an end when he lost to Novak Djokovic in his first final of 2017, insisting his performance made it “a great start to the year”.

Defending champion Djokovic appeared to be heading for a straight-sets win at the Qatar Open in Doha but the world No 1 saved three match points before taking the tie to a decider. The Scot had the first opportunity to break in the final set but failed to take it and then lost his subsequent service game as the Serb dug in to put himself on course for a 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 success in a match which lasted almost three hours.

Murray said: “It was a tough one to lose, but I think it was high-level tennis. Some of the points were physically tough, but it was a great way to start the new year playing like that and I look forward to the next few weeks. I’ve had a fantastic week here, I’ve really enjoyed it.”

Both players began in aggressive fashion. Murray had the first chance of a breakthrough but the impressive Djokovic, who required treatment for a bleeding finger at 30-30 in the third game, shrugged off his minor injury to deny his opponent. The Serb then won four points in a row to come from 40-15 down in the eighth game and take Murray’s serve, before clinching the opening set.

Djokovic broke Murray again in the second as he built a 5-3 lead, but Murray showed superb resilience to stay in the match and win four successive games to level the contest at one set all.

Murray hadn’t beaten Djokovic in 19 matches when he had dropped the opening set but it looked like the momentum could be with him as he looked to end that record. Djokovic, however, found an extra gear and secured the only break of the deciding set in the seventh game to ensure he retained the trophy.

He said: “[It was] definitely one of the best ways to start the year. Andy turned it around, and I thought ‘wow, I hope this is not pay- back time’. All the way to the last shot you never know with Andy.

“It was a very physical battle, we’re both going to need a little bit of time to recover from that and get ready for Melbourne [the Australian Open]. It means to me a lot because in the last three months of 2016, I hadn’t felt that confident on the court, I didn’t play so consistently. To start off the year with a win against the No 1 in the world and your biggest rival is a dream start so I’m hoping I can get the best out of it.”

At the Brisbane International, Karolina Pliskova brushed aside France’s Alize Cornet 6-0, 6-3 in the women’s singles final, lifting the third-seeded Czech into the top five of the rankings.

France lifted the Hopman Cup for the second time in four years when they beat the United States in Perth. Richard Gasquet defeated Jack Sock 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (8/6) before Coco Vandeweghe hit back with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Kristina Mladen- ovic but Gasquet and Mladenovic won the doubles 4-1, 4-3 (5/0).