If Andy Murray was grateful to Marin Cilic for facilitating his rise to the summit this month it was not evident as he added the Croatian to his lengthening list of victims at the ATP World Tour Finals on Monday.
It was Cilic’s defeat of Novak Djokovic at the Paris Masters that opened the door for Murray to seize the No. 1 ranking he had spent his whole career pursuing.
Murray repaid the favour with a 6-3, 6-2 win — his 20th in succession — although it was far from a drubbing as Cilic tried his best to ruin the Scot’s homecoming.
Returning heroMurray has been handed a tougher-looking group than Novak Djokovic, the man he deposed and who could still snatch back the top ranking, but he cleared the first hurdle in style in front of a near full house who welcomed him home like a returning hero.
“It was a great reception,” said Murray, Britain’s first World No. 1. “It’s nice to know that I’m going to be finishing the year playing in that sort of atmosphere. It helps you get up for the matches a bit more.”
Staying afloatOn Tuesday, Austria’s Dominic Thiem kept alive his hopes of reaching the semifinals with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 victory over Gael Monfils.
Thiem, an emerging star after a breakthrough season, has shown no signs of being intimidated by the Tour Finals stage. He even took a set off Djokovic in the first match.
His gutsy effort and aggressive stroke-play earned him a fan in Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, who met Thiem after the match and gave him an autograph.
The results:On Tuesday: Group Lendl: Dominic Thiem bt Gael Monfils 6-3, 1-6, 6-4; Group Edberg/Jarryd: Jamie Murray & Bruno Soares bt Bob & Mike Bryan 6-3, 6-4.
On Monday: Group McEnroe: Andy Murray bt Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-2; Group Fleming & McEnroe: Henri Kontinen & John Peers bt Feliciano Lopez & Marc Lopez 6-3, 7-6(7). — Agencies
