London calling for beaten Murray
Andy Murray: London-bound
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Thursday, 12, Nov 2009 11:35
By James Christie
Andy Murray's preparations for the forthcoming ATP Tour World Finals in London have started a little earlier than expected after he was defeated 1-6 6-3 6-4 in the third round of the Paris Masters by Radek Stepanek.
The world number four's chances of performing well at the World Finals, which begin a week on Sunday, will have been boosted by the form he displayed in the opening set, which he took for the loss of just one game in 20 minutes.
Murray had never lost a set to number 13 seed Stepanek in their three previous encounters but the Czech player turned the match around by varying his play and employing judicious use of some deft drop shots.
Sensing that Murray might be feeling tired after his marathon second round encounter with James Blake, Stepanek stepped up another gear at the start of the deciding set - winning a marathon rally in the first game on the way to forging an early break.
Murray played his best tennis of the set at 2-5 down but Stepanek would not be denied his victory.
Winning last week's Valencia Open will take the sting out of the defeat for the Scot, who said: "I would have signed up for playing seven matches and winning six of them in these two tournaments. It was just what I needed before London."
There is only one more place up for grabs at London's eight-man event as Nikolay Davydenko is now assured of finishing the year in the world's top seven.