Andy Murray sensationally wins European Open just nine months after retirement fears
Andy Murray proved he can still win singles titles on the ATP Tour after he brilliant fought back from a set down to beat Stan Wawrinka in the final of the European Open.
Murray all but retired ahead of the Australian Open at the start of this year as he tearfully conceded defeat in his battle with a hip injury.
However, he opted for resurfacing surgery instead, and that decision never looked more vindicated than when he defeated his old rival Stan Wawrinka 3-6 6-4 6-4 in Antwerp to win his 46th – and unlikeliest – career singles title.
Neither man had won a title since before their French Open semi-final in 2017 that saw Murray’s hip flare up and a recurrence of a knee problem that resulted in Wawrinka undergoing two operations.
The Swiss was the dominant player for much of the match but Murray dug in superbly, coming from breaks down in both the second and third sets.
Murray said in an on-court interview broadcast by Amazon Prime: “I didn’t expect to be in this position so I’m very happy. This is one of the biggest wins that I’ve had after everything.”
At the Stockholm Open, 20-year-old Denis Shapovalov won his first ATP Tour title with a 6-4 6-4 victory over Filip Krajinovic.
The Canadian, who is the 15th first-time winner on tour this season, said on atptour.com: “I am definitely super happy and just really proud. Me and my team have worked really hard to get into this position of lifting a title.”
Fellow young gun Andrey Rublev gave himself a perfect 22nd birthday present by winning the Kremlin Cup on home soil in Moscow.
Rublev had never won a match in the Russian capital in six previous attempts but eased to a 6-4 6-0 victory over Adrian Mannarino, who lost in the final for a second straight year.
“I’m at a loss,” said Rublev. “I can’t find the right words for what it means to me to win here. I grew up with this tournament.”
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