Crossword Genius

Man mated, but lost hope (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

despaired

'lost hope' is the definition.
('despair' can be a synonym of 'lose hope')

'man mated' is the wordplay.
'man' becomes 'des'.
'mated' becomes 'paired' (similar in meaning).
'des'+'paired'='DESPAIRED'

'but' is the link.

(Other definitions for despaired that I've seen before include "Lost hope" , "was hopeless" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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