Nadal downs Murray in thriller

Stage set for world number one in the ATP World Tour Finals.

LONDON: Rafael Nadal fought off a tenacious Andy Murray to reach the final of the ATP World Tour Finals for the first time, winning a ferocious contest 7-6, 3-6, 7-6 after more than three hours of graft.

The world number one will play the final today. There was nothing to separate the
players in an enthralling first set in which both were rock solid on serve but Nadal edged the tiebreak to move ahead.

From 3-2 down in the second set Murray found another gear and reeled off five consecutive games and appeared to be heading for a stunning victory before Nadal roared back.

Nadal seized on a Murray lapse in the decider to break in the third game and had a match point when Murray served at 3-5, only to be stretched into another nerve-wracking tiebreak.

Murray made the better start and forged into a 4-1 lead but his relentless Spanish opponent recovered and stormed into a 6-5 lead.

Murray again saved a match point but when a third opportunity arrived, Nadal sealed victory with a forehand.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 28^th, 2010.