SHENZHEN, China (AP) — Second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain rallied from a set down to defeat fourth-seeded Tommy Robredo of Spain 5-7, 7-6 (9), 6-1 Sunday to win the Shenzhen Open.
Murray saved five match points as he ended a 15-month title drought while improving his chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals in London in November.
“I got lucky, basically, at the end of the second set,” Murray said. “I fought hard, tried my best and thankfully managed to turn it round.”
The 27-year-old Scot accepted a wild card into Shenzhen in a bid to improve his ranking from 11th into the top eight, so as to qualify for London. Murray now moves up to 10th in the rankings, just 105 points behind the eighth-placed Tomas Berdych.
Murray trailed 2-6 in the second set tiebreaker against Robredo, but the Spaniard squandered five match points.
“I tried to get as many balls back in play as I could,” Murray said of those match points. “I missed three or four balls in the tiebreak by very little. I was frustrated to be in that position, but thankfully managed to turn it around. In those situations you need some luck.”
It was Murray’s first title since his triumph at Wimbledon in July 2013 and his 29th tour-level victory.
The 32-year-old Robredo was contesting his 21st tour final and, like Murray, was bidding for his first title since July 2013, when he won the Umag crown.
“It’s tough to accept it,” Robredo said. “But Andy did a great job. He was pushing right till the end and in the end, he deserved it.”
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