Fails to win (5)
I believe the answer is:
loses
<span class="explanation-format__ClueExplanation">'<span class="explanation-format__original">fails to win</span>' is the definition.<br/ ><span class="explanation-format__explanation">('lose' can be a synonym of 'fail to win')</span><br/ ><br/ >This is all the clue.<br/ ></span>
(Other definitions for loses that I've seen before include "Mislays or is defeated" , "Goes down" , "Is unable to find" , "Misplaces" , "Misoplaces" .)