adminMadrid — Andy Murray continued his remarkable run on clay when he pulled off a stunning upset to dethrone home favourite Rafael Nadal 6-3 6-2 in the Madrid Masters final yesterday.
Aggressive second seed Murray, following up Monday’s triumph on the red dust in Munich, his debut clay singles title, denied Nadal a third straight triumph in the Spanish capital.
The Briton’s performances this week suggest he may be a real contender at the French Open starting at the end of the month.
Murray, had never beaten third-seeded Nadal on clay in six attempts but raced into a 3-0 lead at the futuristic magic box arena and fended off three break points to close out the set.
The world number three broke an out-of-sorts Nadal twice more to open a 4-0 lead in the second and finished off the French Open champion on his first match point when Nadal sent a weak forehand return into the net.
It was Murray’s 10th Masters crown and 33rd career title, while Nadal was denied a record-extending 28th Masters and 66th title overall.
Nadal needed a win to remain fourth in the world rankings and he will drop to seven when they are updated today, putting him outside the top five for the first time in a decade. — AFP
Bongani Moyo
Online Reporter