LONDON, November 11 2014: Andy Murray kept alive his chance of qualifying for the semi-finals at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on Tuesday by denying Milos Raonic his 50th match win of the season.
Fifth seed Murray, who qualified for the season finale for the seventh straight year, recorded his first round-robin victory in Group B during the evening session at The O2. Murray registered a 6-3, 7-5 victory over seventh seed Raonic, who had won their previous two meetings – including in March this year at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
“I obviously played better tonight,†said Murray. “I hit the ball a lot cleaner than I did on Sunday from the beginning of the match. So that was pleasing.â€
Murray will next meet second seed and six-time former champion Roger Federer on Thursday in their final round-robin match. Federer, who has a 2-0 record in Group B, still has a chance of finishing No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for a sixth time.
“It will be obviously a very difficult match,†said Murray. “But it will be an exciting match. A good one to be part of. I hope I can play well. We’ve had some very good matches over the years. I hope on Thursday it will be the same.â€
Raonic saved two break points at 1-2, but was broken two games later by Murray, who lost nine of his service points in the 37-minute first set. Murray committed eight of his 11 unforced errors off his backhand wing.
Both players exchanged breaks early in the second set. Ultimately, Raonic’s aggression cost him as Murray soaked up the pressure from behind the baseline. Raonic was broken to 15 to give Murray a 6-5 lead.
“I haven’t served well,” said Raonic, when asked to assess his two matches so far. “I’ve been too passive on the court. I’ve been trying to beat the two guys playing their tennis, and that’s not going to work for me.”
Source: ATP
