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By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, March 4, 2017

The service box seemed to shrink to the size of a shoe box as Andy Murray struggled to find the right fit.

Dropping serve twice to open the match, Murray lost three of the first four games in this Dubai final.

Watch: Murray Says No To Sharapova

The world No. 1 answered accelerating his movement, picking up the pace of his shots and blowing right by a fitful Fernando Verdasco.

Murray reeled off 11 of the final 13 games outclassing the Spaniard for the 13th time in 14 meetings to capture his first career Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title.

“I played a good match today,” Murray said. “It’s been quite a few late finishes. Maybe the last couple of matches didn’t start as well as I would have liked, but it’s been a tricky week with the drizzle and matches starting a bit later.

“Once I got going, today, I was moving well and finished strong.”




Contesting his seventh final in his last eight tournaments—and 14th final in his last 16 events—Murray became the first British man to raise the Dubai title trophy in the tournament’s 25-year history.

It is Murray's 45th career championship.

“Winning is special regardless of your ranking,” Murray said. “I just try to compete as hard as I can every week. (I’m) very happy to win especially on the 25th anniversary.”

Playing his most important final since the 2012 Acapulco, Verdasco got off to a quick start.

The 33-year-old Spaniard thumped a 130 mph ace down the middle—his fastest serve of the tournament and his sixth ace of the week—holding for 3-1.

Despite serving 47 percent through his first three service games, Murray managed to hold for the first time in the fifth game.

Settling in, the top seed broke back at love to level. Racing down a drop shot, Murray flicked a forehand into the corner that sent a stumbling Verdasco sprawling down onto the court. At the time of the knockdown, Murray had won nine consecutive points. He held at 15 for 4-3.

Working deep crosscourt angles to challenge the left-hander’s backhand, Murray pressured again in the eighth game. Verdasco squandered a 40-love lead littering successive errors as Murray broke for the third time for 5-3.

Standing behind the baseline, hands on hips, a frustrated Verdasco muttered misgivings like a man locked out of the lost and found dropping a fourth straight game.




An energized Murray turned the match around reeling off nine consecutive points to close the 39-minute opener.

“Of course obviously I have to be happy for the week I did,” said Verdasco, who fell to 0-12 vs. top-ranked players. “I lost to the number one in the world. I guess that’s part normal, but obviously when you are in the final you want to play your best and try to win.

“Obviously, I have maybe the toughest opponent. I didn’t really find the rhythm today but obviously, he didn’t help me either."

Struggling to hang with the Wimbledon champion from the baseline, Verdasco tried a bolder tact. Attacking net, the world No. 35 paid the price. Murray whipped a crackling pass breaking again for 2-1.

Fully engaged, Murray stamped his third love hold in the fourth game—he won eight of the last night games extending the league to 3-1 and leaving a disconsolate Verdasco venting futility in barks at his box.

Nose over net in the seventh game, Verdasco was in prime position for a volley but badly bungled it into the bottom of the net.

In an angry answer, Verdasco unloaded a 132 mph missile down the middle to save a second break point. That was the Spaniard’s last stand. Floating another error he gifted the break and a 5-2 lead to the top seed.




Depositing a high forehand volley into the corner, Murray gained triple championship point. Zapping a serve winner out wide, Murray made history as the first British champion in Dubai tournament history.

After soaring through the final, Murray will take the 16-hour flight to another desert gearing up for Indian Wells. The 2009 BNP Paribas Open finalist has never won the Indian Wells title and sounds eager to improve on his 2016 second-round loss to 53rd-ranked Federico Delbonis.

"I struggled in Indian Wells and Miami last year—didn’t play so well," Murray said. "So this week, obviously, has given me great momentum going into that stretch and hopefully I can play well there too." 

 

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