By Niall Clarke
- Andy Murray defeats David Ferrer 6-4, 6-3
- Will face Novak Djokovic in the final
- The world number one defeated Stan Wawrinka in three sets.
Paris, France- Andy Murray will contest his first BNP Paribas Masters final against Novak Djokovic, after defeating David Ferrer in straight sets on Saturday.
Tennis:
The British number one came from a break down in the final set to take the last five games in a 6-4, 6-3 victory.
Murray will face Djokovic in Sunday’s final after the Serb defeated Stan Wawrinka in three sets 6-3, 3-6, 6-0. A win for the second seed would seal a year end number two spot in the world rankings.
The Scot has made a habit of getting off to a quick start this week, securing early breaks in all of his previous three matches- the fourth would not be any different.
The early pressure would almost result in a double break, but like the Richard Gasquet match from Friday he would not take and proceeded to be broken back. However this time Murray would not allow it to go to a tiebreak. After saving break points at 4-3, the world number two would re-establish his advantage before serving out the set 6-4.
Ferrer, always the fighter, came back swinging in the second and grabbed an early break of his own. But as often in their previous meetings, the Spaniard would let himself down on serve. Keen to not waste too much time on court with the World Tour Finals and the Davis Cup final on the horizon, Murray would reel off five straight games to close out a straight sets victory in an hour and 38 minutes.
“I played aggressive tennis and was particularly successful at the net.” Murray said as reported in BBC SPORT
“There were a couple of periods where I made more mistakes than usual. In one game I missed four backhands, but when you play high-risk tennis that is what happens.
“I played a good match, apart from the errors.”
Djokovic extends winning streak
Since the US open final the world number one had not dropped a set, however he was pushed to a decider by Wawrinka in the days other semi final.
The Swiss had won their previous meeting in Paris when he claimed the French Open title with a four set victory over Djokovic.
The Serb would take the opener 6-3, before a game Wawrinka levelled with the exact same scoreline. However the world number four would fade in the deciding set, not winning a game.
Djokovic’s win streak now dates back all the way to the Cincinnati Open final where he lost to Roger Federer.
So it will be the top two seeds who will contest Sunday’s final to be crowned champion of Bercy. Djokovic has won the title here the past two years in a row whilst Murray is contesting his first ever final in Paris.
The Serb has won five of their past six meetings, including a crushing 6-1, 6-3 victory in Shanghai last month. Murray won their previous Masters Series final in a dramatic three setter in Montreal. The world number one leads their overall head to head 20-9.
A victory on Sunday would seal the world number two spot for Murray to end the year, his highest finish to an ATP season.
“It would be nice to achieve my highest-ever year-end ranking, but it is more about seeding for the Australian Open in January. It will help my chances more than if I was seeded three or four.” Murray said as reported in BBC SPORT
“I’ve still got the Davis Cup final to look forward to and these are two things I have never achieved before. It will help keep me motivated.”
A win would also put Murray in good stead heading into the ATP World Tour Finals and the Davis Cup Final. Djokovic on the other hand is searching for his tenth title of the season and is looking to further extend his dominance over the rest of the field.
Murray and Djokovic will contest the BNP Paribas Masters final at 13:00 local time (14:00 GMT)
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