Andy Murray defeated Nick Kyrgios in straight sets to reserve his place in the Stuttgart Open final. The Scot followed his victory over first favorite Stefanos Tsitsipas with a 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory to reach his 70th final of his career.
The first set was in service before Murray took it with his second set point of the tie-break. He ran until the second, quickly opening a 5-1 lead before sealing the victory over the Australian in 93 minutes.
A day after beating Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals, the first time he had beaten one of the top five players since winning the 2016 ATP Finals Novak Djokovic, Murray continued to show off his turf skills. while preparing for Wimbledon.
Murray said he was proud of his efforts this week. “It’s been a long time since the last final [on grass]”He told atptour.com. “A lot of ups and downs, but I kept going and kept working and I finally got to another one. I am proud of the effort I have made.
“I was a little stronger in the tie-break. I asked the questions. On these tracks, when you play fast, the set is often reduced to one or two points and I was a little safer at the end of the first set.”
The British No. 3, currently 68th in the world rankings, will face the Italian No. 10 Matteo Berrettini in the final on Sunday. Berrettini overcame his semifinal by 7-6 (7), 7-6 (5) against German Oscar Otte.
Andy Murray signs autographs after his victory over Australian Nick Kyrgios in Stuttgart. Photography: Tom Weller / AP
Murray will play with Italian Lorenzo Sonego in the first round of the Cinch Championship at Queen’s, which starts on Monday. He will be bidding for his fifth title as he continues his preparations for Wimbledon. British No. 1 Cam Norrie faces former Bulgarian Wimbledon semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov and Dan Evans faces defending champion Berrettini. Ryan Peniston, the British No. 7, had a tough draw in the first round while playing with first seed and French Open runner-up Casper Ruud.
Alison Riske reserved her place in the final of the Rothesay Open in Nottingham with a three-set victory over Viktorija Golubic. Riske had ended the hopes of British No. 3 Harriet Dart in the quarterfinals and had to work hard to get a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory.
Riske worked hard to win and now plays Beatriz Haddad Maia in the final after the Brazilian won her semi-final when Tereza Martincova was forced to retire. Haddad Maia took the first set 6-3, before Martincova was forced to leave the court 4-1 in the second.