Rest time for Andy Murray after his winning streak is brought to an end in Cincinnati

Andy Murray, during his match against Croatia's Marin Cilic in Cincinnati. Picture: AP/John Minchillo

Andy Murray is ready to enjoy some well-earned downtime after his 22-match winning streak finally came to an end in Cincinnati.

Since losing the French Open final to Novak Djokovic, world No 2 Murray has won the Aegon Championships, his second Wimbledon title, and a second Olympic gold medal after defeating Juan Martin del Potro in a gruelling four-set, four-hour final in Rio.

The 29-year-old Scot flew directly from Brazil to Cincinnati to contest the Western & Southern Open, which he won in 2008 and then 2011.

Shunning the effects of jet lag, he beat Juan Monaco, Kevin Anderson, Bernard Tomic and Milos Raonic without too much trouble to set up a final showdown with Marin Cilic on Sunday.

Marin Cilic, left, shakes hands with Andy Murray after beating the British No 1 in the final of the Western & Southern Open. Picture: AP/John Minchillo

It was the Croatian who emerged victorious, however, with former US Open champion Cilic winning 6-4 7-5 to claim his first Masters title.

But Murray – the latest member of the ‘600 Club’ having reached the ATP World Tour match-wins tally against Anderson – was not too downbeat.

“I’m very proud of this week,” said Murray. “I certainly didn’t expect to get to the final when I arrived here.

“I had some pretty good wins along the way. Today there were tough, tricky conditions with the wind. I think if I got off to a better start maybe could have done a bit better.”