Andy’s here for long haul
Unbeaten run continues after record battle with Nishikori
Andy Murray is on course at the ATP Tour Finals in London, as the Dunblane tennis star looks to cap an amazing year.
And brother Jamie is also aiming to end the year on a high, with two key victories racked up at the competition already.
World Number One Andy recovered from going a set down to beat Kei Nishikori 6-7, 6-4, 6-4 at the O2 in a three-hour classic.
Andy started the tournament on Monday with a straight sets win over Marin Cilic, however Nishikori provided a much tougher opponent on Wednesday.
At three hours and 20 minutes, it was the longest match at the event since it moved to London in 2009, and at times Murray’s 21 match unbeaten singles run looked under threat.
Nishikori, 26, deservedly took the opening set on a tie-break but only after an 85-minute tussle that saw both men create – and miss – numerous opportunities.
The Dunblane boy could not hold on to an early break in the second set, with Nishikori breaking serve for the first time after two hours to make it 4-4, but the Briton toiled his way through the next two games to level.
A net cord helped Murray get the crucial first break at 2-1 in the deciding set, but even with a 5-1 lead there were more twists to come.
Nishikori discovered a burst of energy to peg Andy back to 5-4, but the top seed found his range when he needed it to serve out the match at the second time of asking.
Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares are within sight of the doubles semi-finals - and the World Number One spot after beating Americans Bob and Mike Bryan at the ATP World Tour Finals.
The Briton and his Brazilian partner won 6-3 6-4 to top their group at London’s O2 Arena, and were set to take on Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo yesterday (Thursday).