Ferrer apologises to friend Murray and home fans after 6-4, 7-5 win over Scot
Ferrer apologises to friend Murray and home fans after 6-4, 7-5 win over ScotSpain's David Ferrer dented Andy Murray's hopes of winning the ATP World Tour Finals on home turf in London with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over the World No 3 yesterday. Ferrer, ranked fifth in the world, had lost his last four meetings with Murray but he overwhelmed the Scot with some impressive baseline play to set the pace in Group A.
Disappointed: Andy Murray hangs his head after losing point against
Ferrer. Pic/AFPMurray had won all five of his previous encounters with Ferrer on hard courts, including a victory in the recent Shanghai final that capped the Scot's triumphant Asian tour. Since losing to Rafael Nadal in the US Open semi-finals, Murray has won 17 of his 18 matches, a remarkable run that brought him titles in Thailand, Japan and China and lifted him above Roger Federer to third place in the world rankings.
Spain's David Ferrer raises his arms in triumph. Pic/AFPBut he appeared hindered by a leg injury from midway through the first set at the O2 Arena and was never at ease as Ferrer's fierce competitive instincts kept him off balance. Murray didn't help his cause with 44 unforced errors and he will need to improve significantly if he is to qualify for the semi-final from a group that also includes world number one Novak Djokovic and former Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych.
"I'm sorry for the people and for Andy as he is a good friend but I'm happy to win the first game here in London," Ferrer said.
