By Piers Newbery BBC Sport at Flushing Meadows
Britain's Jamie Murray and Australian John Peers missed out on a first Grand Slam men's doubles title as they were beaten in the US Open final.
French 12th seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut beat the eighth seeds 6-4 6-4 at New York's Flushing Meadows.
Murray and Peers had been hoping to go one better than Wimbledon, where they also finished runners-up.
The Scot will now head to Glasgow for next week's Davis Cup semi-final against Australia.
"I'm starting to know what Andy felt like for a long time," Murray said of his younger brother, who lost his first four major singles finals.
"We'll keep tying to get over the line and get a Grand Slam title."
French duo too sharp
It ended in dramatic style as Herbert - the man of the match - finished off a sensational rally at the net, and both Frenchmen fell to the ground in celebration.
Murray and Peers will be left to rue chances missed in the first set, particularly a backhand volley on break point at 4-4 that the Australian could only put in the net.
It led to a run of eight straight points as Peers was then broken to love to drop the first set.
Both teams had earned five break points apiece in the first set, but the second was a tighter affair, and again the French duo proved more clinical.
After getting to 0-30 at 4-3 up, they pushed again at 5-4 following a beautiful backhand pass from Herbert.
Match point brought the best rally of the match as Murray and Peers did everything they could to cling on, but again it was Herbert in the right place to close it out at the net.
"Once you get there, you want to win, don't you?" said Murray.
"I mean, it's not like we are the best players ever that will be making finals every time we step on the court. You never know when you might not get back to one."
"I'm kind of speechless now," said 33-year-old Mahut, who won his first Grand Slam title.
"Earlier in the year we lost another final but we played great today. I've never seen someone play like Pierre in the final game of a Grand Slam final."
Where next for Murray & Peers?
When Murray heads home to Scotland for Britain's biggest Davis Cup tie in 34 years, Peers will not be boarding the same flight.
Australia's top-ranked doubles player did not make Wally Masur's squad, although he was told by the captain that he had come close.
There will be some consolation in the fact that Murray and Peers will move fourth in the ATP doubles race, with the top eight qualifying for November's season-ending finals in London.
"I don't have time to kind of sit around and dwell on the past," said Murray.
"I have to fly back tomorrow night, get to Scotland on Monday and join up with the team, and get back into the swing of things at Davis Cup. There's a lot to look forward to next week.
"We have got a great chance to try to get to the final."