Andy Murray wins first title in four years

 

Andy Murray secured his first ATP Challenger title in almost 16 years by beating Tommy Paul in the final in Aix-en-Provence on Sunday. The last time Murray won a title was in 2019 at Antwerp

The former world No 1 rallied to win 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 in the final against American top seed Paul, who took the first set comfortably.

The win marks Murray’s first Challenger title since 2005 and his first on clay since he won the Rome Masters in 2016.

The 35-year-old Briton had taken a late wildcard into the tournament to get more playing time on clay, following his first-round exits from Monte Carlo and Madrid in April.

Murray has been struggling with his form recently, but his win in France shows that he is still capable of playing at a high level. After a slow start, he found his rhythm and reeled off five straight games to take the second set.

Paul, a semi-finalist at this year’s Australian Open, fought back in the third, but Murray was able to maintain his lead and secure the title in just over two hours.

The victory will see Murray rise to world No 42 when the rankings are updated on Monday, his highest position since May 2018. It also marks his third win over a top-20 player this year after defeating Matteo Berrettini and Alexander Zverev earlier in the season.

Murray, who has won three Grand Slam titles in his career, is now preparing for the French Open, which begins on May 30th. He will be hoping to build on his recent success and compete at the highest level in Paris.

Leon Osamor