Murray Completes Asian Trifecta with Win over Ferrer at Shanghai

Defending champion Andy Murray defeated Spaniard David Ferrer 7-5, 6-4 in the final of the Shanghai Masters Sunday afternoon, winning his third title in three weeks on the fall Asian swing. Murray came into Shanghai having won championships at the Thailand Open in Bangkok and the Rakuten Japan Open in Tokyo the previous two weeks. The second-seeded Scot has now won 25 of his last 26 matches. Prior to a semifinal loss at the U.S. Open, Murray won the Cincinnati Masters in August. The result of Murray’s red-hot run will see the 24-year-old Scot supplant Roger Federer at No. 3 in the world when the updated ATP Tour rankings come out tomorrow. It will be the first time since July 7, 2003, when Federer won his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, that the Swiss Maestro has ranked outside the Top 3. “It’s been one of the best runs of my life,” Murray said. “I’ve played very, very well the last few weeks. I was very nervous today because I wanted to win here and defend my title. I’m very happy to come through. Ferrer’s one of the toughest players on the tour and one of the best people; it’s a pleasure to share the court with him. I love playing here; it’s one of my favourite places to play.” Murray broke Ferrer in the opening game of the match to end the Spaniard’s run of 31 consecutive service holds. The Scot’s lead was short-lived, though, as Ferrer immediately broke back. Ferrer committed three straight unforced errors, including a double fault, in the pivotal 11th game to drop serve. Murray held to take the first set. The second set began with three straight breaks. Murray’s breakback in the third game ended up being the difference. “I fought a lot, but today it was impossible to beat Andy,” Ferrer said. “He’s a very good player and person. I didn’t serve really good this match, also because Andy received very well and I had to play closer to the lines. Andy was better than me in the second set. Maybe in the first set I had my chances. [But] I played so bad this game [at 5-5]. After I had a long time serving very bad. Anyway, is difficult to beat Andy in these moments. He is playing with [a lot of] confidence.” Murray improved to 54-11 on the season and 5-3 against Ferrer, while winning his fifth title of the year. The Scotsman also won at Queen’s Club in June.