The race to secure a place in next month's season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London remains too close to call but Andy Murray finally has things back in his own hands after he triumphed in the Austrian Open yesterday.
The Scot produced a typically gutsy, and at times superb, performance to beat David Ferrer 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 to win his second tournament in five weeks and 30th in all.
It will have been an immensely satisfying win for Murray but as the 27-year-old headed to Valencia last night for his latest pit stop, the result puts a slight buffer between him and the Spaniard in the battle for London.
With Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic having secured their spots already, three places remain, although that could become four if Nadal, who requires surgery after appendicitis, decides not to play in London.
Murray is working on the premise that only the top eight will be good enough to qualify for the tournament and a win over Ferrer moved the Scot up to eighth spot, 110 points ahead of the Spaniard, with Milos Raonic and Grigor Dimitrov also in contention.
"The next few weeks are extremely important," Murray said. "Everyone is playing next week. I just need to win as many matches as possible to keep hold of the eighth spot or go higher."
Beaten by the Spaniard in Shanghai just a fortnight ago, Murray was staring down the barrel when Ferrer served for the match at 5-3 in the third set of their final. However, the Spaniard's serve let him down and he double-faulted to offer Murray a lifeline. He duly upped his game to win four straight games and add the Vienna title to the one he won in Shenzhen five weeks ago.
Having made a late decision to go to Austria in search of more points, Murray achieved his goal in a match containing countless gruelling rallies, something typical of the contests between the two players during their careers.
Having dropped the first set, Murray looked like he was on the verge of giving up the ghost when he faced a couple of break points at the start of the second. However, he saved them both with aggressive intent and from then on he was a man transformed, ripping through the second set and then going 2-0 up in the third.
Ferrer refused to give in, breaking back and then forging ahead 4-2 in the third but the breaks continued and Murray finally got back on terms at 5-5 before breaking again and serving out for an impressive victory.
Murray's victory gave him a 30th career title - only four other active players have managed that - and the 27-year-old, who rarely drinks, admitted he might allow himself "one glass of champagne, but not more than that" in celebration.
However, Murray will need to get straight back to work as he tries to win in Valencia for the second time, a tournament which offers 500 points to the champion. It has been an interesting few weeks for Murray as he has experienced the unusual feeling of trying to cram points into the final phase of the season.
But after something of a stop-start season - and a year after his back operation - the two-time grand slam champion appears to be enjoying himself and is back winning titles again.
"Whoever qualifies for the finals will deserve it," Murray said. "It is the best players over the 12 months, so we will see in the next weeks, but it is going to be very close. Every tournament right now is very important."
Murray will begin in Valencia against Austria's Jurgen Melzer and could play Ferrer again in the semi-finals, before the Tour heads to Paris for the Masters 1000 event, the final qualifier for London.
Jamie Murray was outdone by his former partner Eric Butorac as the Scot and Australian John Peers bowed out in the semi-finals of the Stockholm Open. American Butorac and South African Raven Klaasen, seeded No.3, lost a tight opening set but recovered to scrape through 6-7 (7-9), 6-3, 10-6.
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