AFP, Shenzhen :
Andy Murray has won his first title since his historic Wimbledon victory last year, surviving a scare to beat Tommy Robredo in three sets Sunday at the inaugural ATP Shenzhen Open.
Murray, who is currently ranked 11th by the ATP, overcame the 32-year-old in a tense match in which he saved five match points at the tie break in the second set as he appeared to be heading for defeat.
The 27-year-old Scot then powered through the third set, losing only one game as he closed in on his first title for 15 months.
The victory boosts the British player’s hopes of qualifying for November’s ATP World Tour Finals in London, the end of season finale which features the top eight mens players.
Murray has now won the last four of his six meetings against Robredo, which includes a victory over the Spaniard in his march to the 2013 Wimbledon final.
He will move into tenth position on the back of his win in Shenzhen, the ATP said on its website. Murray is now on 3,405 points, just 105 points behind eighth-placed Tomas Berdych, who currently occupies the final place for the London tournament.
Murray is also scheduled to play two further tournaments in China where 1,500 points are available. He is the sixth seed at the China Open this week, which is worth 500 points for the winner, and he will play at the Shanghai Masters, which is worth 1,000 points.
The Shenzhen Open is a new ATP tournament in China, and its introduction this year means China in 2014 has three successive men’s tournaments over three weeks.
