The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Impressive display from Murray as he beats Goffin
Scot survives late wobble to see off No 1 seed for place in Shenzhen quarters
Andy Murray produced the most impressive win of his comeback from a hip problem by defeating David Goffin 6-3 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals of the Shenzhen Open.
Goffin entered the tournament as the number one seed and reigning champion but the Belgian, ranked 11th in the world, was dispatched in straight sets at an event Murray won four years ago.
It is the penultimate competition of the year for Murray, who has decided to play in the Shenzhen and China Opens before ending his season in order to work on improving the hip issue that has troubled his recent career.
There was little sign of discomfort as the world No 311 easily took the first set before surviving a late wobble in the second to close out a victory against a player to whom he had never lost in five previous meetings.
Murray gained an early foothold in the opening set when he broke Goffin in the fourth game and to underline his impressive form he took the next game easily.
Four aces strengthened Murray’s challenge, but his poise deserted him in the seventh when Goffin broke back by dispatching the second serve at the crucial moment.
But regaining composure, the 31-yearold Scot immediately broke back before sealing the set at the second time of asking with another ace.
The one-way traffic continued into the second set as Murray raced 2-0 ahead, continuing to do considerable damage with his first serve.
Leading 5-1, however, he suffered a collapse that saw Goffin pull back to 5-4 and having saved three break points in the 10th, he served out for victory.
Madrid will host the inaugural Davis Cup finals week next November.
The event, which will see 18 teams battle it out for the trophy, will be staged at the Caja Magica, the venue for the Madrid Masters in May.
Madrid will also host the event in 2020, with the International Tennis Federation keen to encourage the top players to take part by staging it close to the venue for the preceding week’s ATP Finals at London’s O2 Arena.
Madrid saw off competition from Lille, the host of the final for the last two years.
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