Andy Murray lost to David Ferrer in split sets earlier today at the Shanghai Rolex Masters, as a result of which he may miss out on the Barclay’s ATP World Tour Finals at the end of the current tennis season.
The Brit started off well, dropping only four points on his serve in the first set to mark an auspicious start to the match with a 6 – 1 win.
Ferrer however responded aggressively, turning in a forceful display which saw him see off the British number one in the second and third sets by 6 – 1 and 6 – 2 respectively.
The ATP Finals is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious tournaments for a player to partake in, with only singles players and doubles teams ranked in the top eight of their respective categories eligible for entry.
Prior to his loss, Murray was ranked 9th with 3,565 points – 30 points and a rank above Ferrer – as of October 6th according to the ATP website.
With most players who could be in contention for the eighth slot already out of the Shanghai Masters, the match against Ferrer was Murray’s opportunity to pip rankings and remain in the running.
The loss, however, has caused Ferrer to move into the top eight and Murray to drop out, with an official point ranking yet to be released by the ATP.
Ferrer faces current world number one and reigning two time ATP Finals champion Novak Djokovic in the quarter finals of the Shanghai Masters tomorrow, after the Serbian saw off Mikhail Kukushkin with a 6 – 3, 4 – 6, 6 – 4 victory earlier today.
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