Andy Murray posted a 21st consecutive win after surviving the longest match in ATP World Tour Finals history yesterday when he beat fifth seed Kei Nishikori.

Scot hopes for perfect finish to year with shoot-out for No 1 ranking

Andy Murray admitted a final clash with Novak Djokovic for the No 1 ranking would be the perfect finish to the season, and a dramatic victory over Kei Nishikori kept him on course.

Murray and Nishikori played the longest three-set match in ATP World Tour Finals history, the Scot eventually prevailing 6-7 (9-11) 6-4 6-4 after three hours and 20 minutes.

The first set alone took 85 minutes, Nishikori winning it on his fifth set point, but the Scot’s well of fighting spirit never runs dry and he dug himself out of several holes on his way to a 21st consecutive victory.

It is the first time since the event moved to London’s O2 Arena in 2009 that Murray has won his opening two matches, and he is in pole position to reach the semi-finals from John McEnroe group.

He was kept waiting to confirm his place in the last four when Stan Wawrinka beat Marin Cilic 7-6 7-6 in the evening match to keep the group alive.

Murray plays Wawrinka in his final group game tomorrow and will advance with a victory, though a number of combinations of results would also see him through.

Last night’s defeat means Cilic is eliminated and now turns his attention to Croatia’s Davis Cup final with Argentina later this month.

Should Murray win the group, he would avoid Djokovic in the semi-finals, setting up the mouth-watering prospect of a final on Sunday with the No 1 ranking on the line.

He said: “I think for the tournament and stuff, for everyone interested in tennis, that would probably be the perfect way to finish the year.

“For me, and I’m sure for Novak, both of our goals would be to try to win the event. For him, whether that’s by beating me, someone else, or, for me, if it’s winning against Novak or another player, it doesn’t change for us as players.”

For all Murray’s achievements during 2016, this was the first time he had played a top-five opponent since losing to Djokovic in the French Open final in June. And it would have been no surprise to Murray that it turned into an epic encounter.

This was his fourth meeting of the year against Nishikori and two of the previous ones, in Davis Cup in March and the US Open in September, were five-set marathons.

Murray lost the one in New York, the 29-year-old clearly fatigued at the end of a long summer that included Wimbledon and Olympic glory.

He has had only limited opportunities for rest since, and the opening set was virtually a match in itself.

Nishikori was the better player but looked to have blown his chance when he was pegged back from 6-3 in the tiebreak, Murray pulling off a miraculous winning backhand at full stretch.

However, it was Nishikori who took it in the end when Murray, not for the first time, missed a forehand.

The world No 1 was a picture of frustration, which he took to expressing with a sarcastic grin.

“I didn’t feel like I was hitting the ball as well as I would have liked,” said Murray. “He was dictating so many of the points.

“As the match went on, I was getting kind of frustrated, then becoming sarcastic with myself that I couldn’t seem to hit the ball as clean as I wanted.

“It didn’t matter whether I tried to hit the ball a bit harder, adjusted my position on the court, nothing was making me hit the ball cleaner. I don’t often do that, but I was definitely being more sarcastic towards myself than usual.”

Having seen an early break in the second set slip away, Murray forged ahead again with a break for 5-4 and served it out after a tense final game.

It was not until Murray won five straight games in the third set to lead 5-1 that he could start to relax a little, but Nishikori kept fighting right to the end.

The Scot headed for the ice bath afterwards in a bid to recover for tomorrow’s match against Wawrinka.

Even if he does not need to win the match to progress to the last four, the 200 points available could prove very valuable in the battle for No 1.

Murray said: “I’m a bit tired, obviously. I was in the ice bath after the match. That helps make you feel a bit better. But 10, 12 hours afterwards the body starts to stiffen up. But it’s positive I get a day’s rest.”

The prospect of Murray and brother Jamie both finishing 2016 ranked at the top of the standings moved a step closer when Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert crashed out of the doubles tournament.

The French pair are currently ranked No 1 but reaching the final would definitely now be enough for Murray and Brazil’s Bruno Soares, who have won both matches so far and play Marcelo Melo and Ivan Dodig today.

Picture: PA. Andy Murray shows his frustration, but it turned out well for the Scot as he came from a set down to beat Kei Nishikori 6-7 6-4 6-4.

Stan Wawrinka: kept his hopes alive with a 7-6 7-6 victory over Marin Cilic.