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BRITAIN’s Andy Murray beat Roberto Bautista Agut in straight sets to win the Shanghai Masters and edge closer to Novak Djokovic in the world rankings.
The Scot recovered from a stutter in the first set to win 7-6 (7-1) 6-1 against the Spanish world number 19. Bautista Agut beat Djokovic in the semi-finals, but Murray ultimately eased to his sixth title of the year.
Murray, 29, is 915 points behind the Serb for 2016, increasing his hopes of finishing the year as world number one. It is the third time he has won the Shanghai Masters, which gives him 1,000 ranking points. Murray, who also won the China Open on October 9, has now won his past 23 sets over the two tournaments and the recent Davis Cup tie with Argentina.
“In the last few months, I have won a lot of matches and made improvements,” Murray told Sky Sports. “I have been moving forward better and changed the direction of the ball better. I have also come up with some bigger serves when I have needed them.
“My goal wasn’t to finish number one at the end of this year but in the early parts of next year there is an opportunity – 900 points doesn’t seem like loads.
“But Novak will win matches. He is the best player in the world. I don’t think he has lost an indoor game in a long time.” — BBC Sport
Online Reporter