Jeremy Bates has given the strongest hint yet that Brad Gilbert is about to be officially named as Andy Murray's new coach.

Great Britain's Davis Cup captain Bates insists it is "more than likely" that American Gilbert - former coach of Andre Agassi - will accept a coaching role with the Lawn Tennis Association with special responsibility for overseeing Murray's progress.

Bates has asked Gilbert to come to Eastbourne this week, where the GB team take on Israel with the winners retaining a place in the Europe/Africa Zone Group One.

Bates said: "I am not involved in finalising the deal but it is more than likely it is going to happen.

"I don't know when Brad's official start date is with Andy; he is coming because I would like him to be there. And Andy would like him to be there too, because it is imperative that we win; we have to win."

Murray bowed out of the Campbell's Hall of Fame Championship in Newport, Rhode Island at the semi-final stage on Saturday night, losing in straight sets to Justin Gimelstob.

The top-seeded Scot paid the price for a poor first set as he was swept aside 6-1, 7-6 by American.

Murray was broken in the third game of the match and then contrived to lose his next two service games and with them, the opening set.

He put up a stronger fight in the second but could not prevent Gimelstob completing the job 7-4 in the tie-break.

His defeat robs him of the chance to face Mark Philip-poussis in the final.

Alex Bogdanovic had been eliminated at the quarter-final stage 3-6, 6-2 6-1 by Jurgen Melzer of Austria. n France's Richard Gasquet claimed his second title in three weeks yesterday with a 7-6, 6-7, 6-3, 6-3 win over Spain's Feliciano Lopez in the final of the Swiss Open.

It was Gasquet's third career title, following his triumph at the Nottingham Open.

Gasquet had to contend with some impressive serving from the hard-hitting Lopez but was frequently able to outplay and outrun his opponent with a clever variety of shots. n Tommy Robredo defeated Russian top seed Nikolay Davydenko 6-2, 6-1 to win the Swedish Open yesterday.

It was the fourth career title for the Spanish world No 9 and the second this year after his triumph in the Hamburg Masters in May. n Italy reached their first Fed Cup final yesterday when world No 18 Flavia Pennetta overcame Spain's Lourdes Dominguez-Lino 6-2, 6-4 to give her team an unassailable 3-1 lead in their semi-final.

Italy will play the winner of the tie between Belgium and the United States in the final in September.

Spain were trailing 2-0 after Saturday's opening singles rubbers but had pulled a point back in the first match on court yesterday when Anabel Medina Garrigues proved too strong on the way to a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Italy's No 1 Francesca Schiavone.