SHANGHAI: Andy Murray demolished Roberto Bautista to win the Shanghai Masters without dropping a set as he edged closer to Novak Djokovic’s world number one ranking on Sunday.
The Wimbledon and Olympic champion won seven points in a row in the first-set tie-break and he broke Bautista three times in the second to win his third Shanghai title 7-6 (7/1), 6-1.
The rampant Murray is now on a 10-match winning streak in which he has won 20 straight sets, including last week’s similarly impressive victory at the China Open in Beijing.
But most importantly, the world number two slashes the gap to just 915 points from the out-of-sorts Djokovic, who was shocked by Spain’s Bautista in the semis.
“I believe I can get there. I definitely believe I can get there. These last few months have proved that to me,” Murray said of the top ranking.
“I may never get another chance to be number one, so I’ll give it my best shot to do that while I have the opportunity.”
Nineteenth-ranked Bautista, who was playing his first Masters final, said, “I think I can see it in his eyes. He’s really focused on getting number one.”
With his 41st tournament victory and sixth this year, Murray joins Stefan Edberg in joint 15th place on the list of Open-era title winners. Of greater concern will be his place in the rankings as he draws ever closer to the imploding Djokovic, who has hit a rocky patch after a period of sustained dominance.
{{/usCountry}}With his 41st tournament victory and sixth this year, Murray joins Stefan Edberg in joint 15th place on the list of Open-era title winners. Of greater concern will be his place in the rankings as he draws ever closer to the imploding Djokovic, who has hit a rocky patch after a period of sustained dominance.
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