Murray wins Shanghai Masters & moves closer to number one
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.
The Scot, 29, is now 915 points behind the Serb, increasing his chances of finishing 2016 as world number one.
Murray, who also won the China Open on 9 October, has now won his past 23 sets over the two tournaments and the recent Davis Cup tie with Argentina.
It is the third time he has won the Shanghai Masters following his back-to-back victories in 2010 and 2011.
“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.”
More to follow.