ANTWERP, Belgium — Andy Murray is back in an ATP tour final for the first time since March 2017 after beating Ugo Humbert, 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, in the European Open semifinals.
Murray will face his fellow three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, who beat 18-year-old Jannik Sinner of Italy, 6-3, 6-2.
For Murray, it’s his biggest success since having hip surgery in January, an injury that him contemplating retirement. He sealed the win against Humbert after 2 hours 22 minutes with an easy volley winner at the net.
“It’s been a long road to get back to this point,” Murray said. “I certainly didn’t expect it to come so soon since I started playing again. It’s been a big surprise to me and I’m happy to be through to the final.”
Murray, 32, returned to the tour in June, playing only doubles. He started playing singles in August, even competing on the lower-level Challenger Tour to gain matches.
Neither Murray nor Wawrinka, 34, has won a singles title since 2017. Wawrinka had knee surgery in August 2017.
“Stan’s a brilliant player,” Murray said. “We’ve played against each other in some big matches in the past in big tournaments. It was actually my match with him at the French Open in 2017 when my hip problems really started. It was a tough five-set match in the semis and my hip never really recovered from that, so it’s cool to be back playing against him in a final.”
Source : NYtimes
