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12/23/2024 03:58:38 am

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Erste Bank Open: David Ferrer Edges Philipp Kohlschreiber, Sets Up Finals Meeting With Andy Murray

Top seeded wild card entry David Ferrer edged Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany in a three set matchup to setup a finals meeting with Britain’s No. 1 Andy Murray at the Erste Bank Open in Austria

(Photo : atpworldtour.com)

Top seeded wild card entry David Ferrer edged Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany in a three-set matchup to setup a finals meeting with Britain's No. 1 Andy Murray at the Erste Bank Open in Austria on Saturday.

World No. 5 Ferrer had a difficult semifinals match against fourth seeded Kohlschreiber as he was forced to extend the match into overtime in a two-hour and 27 minute encounter.

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Ferrer started out in form in the first set as he broke the 31-year-old German once to take the set but Kohlschreiber turned things around in the second as he counters with two break points of his own to level the match.

In the third and deciding set, Ferrer was down 2-4 but came back to put the set into a tie-break which he eventually won, thanks to a five double faults committed by Kohlschreiber 6-3 2-6 7(7)-6(3) to advance into the finals and meet Murray whom he defeated at the third round at last week's Shanghai Open in China.

Second seeded Murray tasted his first break point in the tournament against Serbian qualifier Viktor Troicki in their semis encounter as the Scot broke Troicki early in the first set but the Serb broke him back in the next game.

Murray, 27, again broke Troicki to take the first set and continued to break the 28-year-old Serb twice again in the second set to win it 6-4 6-3 in 83 minutes.

Both Ferrer and Murray have gained 150 points for reaching the finals and have overtaken Canadian star Milos Raonic in the eight-man short list of the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals to be held in London this coming November.

Murray is now in eighth place with Ferrer behind him by just 10 points. Whoever wins the crown will gain 250 more points and would have a significant advantage coming into the next ATP tournament, the Valencia Open 500 in Spain scheduled to start Monday.

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