Andy Murray claims Valencia title to boost London bid
Tuesday, 28 October 2014 00:01
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REUTERS: Andy Murray again saved five match points against Tommy Robredo in a final when he fought back to win 3-6 7-6 (7) 7-6 (8) at the Valencia Open on Sunday and secure valuable points for his World Tour finals bid.
The gruelling battle at the cathedral-like Agora arena, at three hours and 20 minutes the longest final of the year on the ATP World Tour, was a repeat of last month’s Shenzhen Open showpiece, when Murray fought off five match points against the Spaniard on the way to a 5-7 7-6 (9) 6-1 success.
A wildcard at the Valencia indoor hardcourt event, which he won in 2009, third seed Murray produced an erratic display against unseeded Robredo but had just enough in the tank to claim a 31st career singles title. After thumping a backhand winner to seal victory, the Scot, who squandered a match point earlier in the third set, collapsed to the floor and barely had enough strength to get to the net to greet his equally exhausted opponent. The win earned Murray, playing his 20th match in five weeks having also won in Vienna this month, a further 200 points and lifted him to fifth in the race to secure a spot at the season-ending eight-man Tour finals in London.
