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Murray wins Madrid Masters

— PHOTO: AFP

FRAGRANCE OF VICTORY: Venus Williams is delighted after winning the WTA Zurich Open title on Sunday.

MADRID: Fourth-ranked Andy Murray beat Gilles Simon of France 6-4, 7-6(6) on Sunday to win the Madrid Masters. The U.S. Open finalist became the first Briton to win four titles in a season. At No. 4, he will also be the highest ranked Briton in the Open era finishing the year in which he won four titles and played a Grand Slam final.

Greg Rusedski and Tim Henman both reached No. 4 but never finished the year there and have never won four titles and played in a Grand Slam final in one season.

Murray had also won Doha, Marseille and Cincinnati.

Mark Cox of Britain captured three titles in 1975.

“Gilles was hitting much better from behind the baseline, but I got a lot of free points from my serve,” Murray said. “That was probably the key to my win today.”

Murray never faced a breakpoint and converted one in the fifth game to take the first set when Simon hit wide.

The Briton saved two set points in the tiebreaker before closing the match out when Simon netted for his 30th unforced error.

Venus wins Zurich

Venus Williams claimed her second title of the year on Sunday when she defeated unseeded Italian Flavia Pennetta 7-6(1), 6-2 in the final of the Zurich Open. The third seeded American, who was playing the 60th final of her career, won her 38th title, adding to the Wimbledon crown she earned in July.

Pennetta, who is expected to rise to a new career-high ranking of 14 on Monday, was seeking her fourth consecutive win over Williams, after beating her in Bangkok in 2007 and at Roland Garros and Moscow this year.

“I felt good today,” said Williams, who also won the tournament in 1999.

“I just kept improving my game throughout the week, and it’s great for me to play my best tennis of the week in the final, against someone playing as well as she is.”

Leading 2-1, with a break, in the second set, the American consolidated that in the most spectacular fashion by holding her next service game with four consecutive aces.

“I’ve never had one of those before,” said the delighted American. “At 40-0 I thought: ‘I can do it’, so that was obviously a great moment. I hope I have another game like that in my career.”

The results (all finals): At Madrid (Madrid Masters): Andy Murray bt Gilles Simon 6-4, 7-6(6). Doubles: Maurisz Fyrstenberg & Marcin Matkowski bt MaHesh Bhupathi & Mark Knowles 6-4, 6-2.

At Zurich (Zurich Open): Venus Williams bt Flavia Pennetta 7-6(1), 6-2. — Agencies

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