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| Andy Murray beats Grigor Dimitrov to qualify for ATP Tour Finals | Andy Murray beats Grigor Dimitrov to qualify for ATP Tour Finals |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| If there is one thing we should know about Andy Murray by now, it is that he comes out swinging when his back is up against the wall. Or, indeed, when it has been under a surgeon’s knife. Murray was under supreme pressure when he dropped to 12th in the world after losing to Novak Djokovic in the US Open and he was given no more than an outside chance of qualifying for the ATP World Tour Finals next month. Whatever happened, he was going to have to do it the hard way. | If there is one thing we should know about Andy Murray by now, it is that he comes out swinging when his back is up against the wall. Or, indeed, when it has been under a surgeon’s knife. Murray was under supreme pressure when he dropped to 12th in the world after losing to Novak Djokovic in the US Open and he was given no more than an outside chance of qualifying for the ATP World Tour Finals next month. Whatever happened, he was going to have to do it the hard way. |
| So, true to form, that is precisely what he did and on Thursday Murray was rewarded for the incredible commitment he has shown to his sport over the past six weeks when he became the fifth man to secure his place in London by reaching the quarter-final of the Paris Masters with a serene 6-3, 6-3 victory over the gifted Bulgarian, Grigor Dimitrov. In doing so, Murray ended Dimitrov’s slim hopes of making it to the season’s final tournament. | |
| “It’s nice,” Murray said. “It’s obviously a great event to be involved in. It’s a fun way to finish the year in London, who put on a great event, a packed house every day you play. I’m happy to have qualified.” | “It’s nice,” Murray said. “It’s obviously a great event to be involved in. It’s a fun way to finish the year in London, who put on a great event, a packed house every day you play. I’m happy to have qualified.” |
| He should be. It has been a staggering turnaround. Murray is playing his sixth tournament in as many weeks, which is an outstanding effort given how the mental and physical strain of competing at highest level, and since making his exit in New York, he has won three ATP titles and 20 of his past 22 matches. He dragged himself to China and won and has flown back to Europe and won. Murray has played like a champion and he will fancy his chances in his quarter-final against either Djokovic or Gaël Monfilson Friday. | |
| Dimitrov may have been feeling similarly confident when he walked on court against Murray. He tormented a subdued Murray at Wimbledon in July, winning their quarter-final without breaking sweat in three drama-free sets, and he has troubled him in the past. The way Dimitrov can shift the direction of a rally with his beautiful forehand had the potential to be problematic for Murray. | |
| However Murray is playing sublime tennis and he was always in control, never once looking back after he broke for a 2-1 lead in the first set when Dimitrov flashed a forehand wide and then dumped another into the net. | However Murray is playing sublime tennis and he was always in control, never once looking back after he broke for a 2-1 lead in the first set when Dimitrov flashed a forehand wide and then dumped another into the net. |
| This was a vintage Murray performance; forceful, imaginative and oozing class. While he lost only two points on his first serve, he was returning excellently and he earned two set points with a stunning two-handed backhand down the line off a Dimitrov serve. A double-fault from Dimitrov, driven to distraction by his opponent’s baseline defending, was enough to hand Murray the set. | This was a vintage Murray performance; forceful, imaginative and oozing class. While he lost only two points on his first serve, he was returning excellently and he earned two set points with a stunning two-handed backhand down the line off a Dimitrov serve. A double-fault from Dimitrov, driven to distraction by his opponent’s baseline defending, was enough to hand Murray the set. |
| Murray was in the zone, clenching his fist in the direction of his box after giving Dimitrov the runaround on one point midway through the second set, and he had broken for a 2-0 lead when the Bulgarian sent a wild smash wide. There was some fleeting resistance from Dimitrov near the end but Murray was never placed under any undue stress. | |
| “Since the French Open I think I’ve played well,” Murray said. “I lost to some of the best players that have ever played the game in the slams this year. I didn’t play my best against Grigor at Wimbledon. Around the French Open I started playing well. It’s been a strong year after tough surgery and a hard beginning of the year. I’m pleased with how I’m playing.” | “Since the French Open I think I’ve played well,” Murray said. “I lost to some of the best players that have ever played the game in the slams this year. I didn’t play my best against Grigor at Wimbledon. Around the French Open I started playing well. It’s been a strong year after tough surgery and a hard beginning of the year. I’m pleased with how I’m playing.” |
| This being Murray, there had to be some deadpan humour afterwards and he managed to land a blow on his critics when he scrawled ‘Bad Year!’ on a television camera lens. Message received. | |
| Murray’s victory means Tomas Berdych, David Ferrer, Kei Nishikori and Milos Raonic are left fighting over three spots in the Race to London. Berdych needs one more victory to qualify after he beat Feliciano López 7-5, 6-3 while Ferrer moved closer with a steady 6-1, 6-2 victory over Fernando Verdasco and Raonic kept his hopes alive with a 7-5, 7-6 win over Roberto Bautista Agut. |