Sock snatches last ATP Finals spot with Paris title

PARIS - American Jack Sock snatched the last spot in the eight-man field for the season-ending ATP Finals when he beat Serbian qualifier Filip Krajinovic 5-7 6-4 6-1 to win the Paris Masters title on Sunday.

The 16th-seeded Sock became the first American to win the singles title at the tournament since Andre Agassi in 1999.

Sock, who started the week in 24th position in the Race to London, needed to win the title to leapfrog Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta to ensure he will play in the Nov. 12-19 event in London.

He did just that with a solid performance, wearing down the defence of world number 77 Krajinovic.

"I obviously snuck into ... London unexpectedly so zero pressure on me to go there," said Sock, the first American man to make it into the singles draw of the season-finale since Mardy Fish in 2011.

"I'm going to swing big and play my game, like I always do, and just honestly enjoy the moment."

Sock won his first two service games to love but ran into a spot of bother in the sixth game. He served and volleyed to save a break point but a double fault handed Krajinovic a break and a 4-2 lead.

The American broke straight back but a fine forehand earned the Serb a set point and Sock made a mess of another forehand as his opponent, who defended well, took the lead.

Krajinovic, however, lost his focus and a forehand error gave Sock an early break in the second set. The Serb fell 4-1 behind and could only break back once, Sock levelling for one-set all.

The momentum had shifted and Sock, who will finish the year as the American number one for the first time, raced through the deciding set to claim his maiden Masters title.

Despite the defeat, Krajinovic will climb to a career-high 33 in the rankings on Monday and the 25-year-old is aiming higher.

"I know that I will work even more right now. That's for sure. Pressure is part of the sport," he said.

"Everybody has pressure in life. Of course, I am going to have more. People will expect more from me right now. They see I can do it.

"But if I want to be better, I have to handle that. So I will work on that also. So I hope next year will be better."

(Reporting by Julien Pretot,; Editing by Pritha Sarkar)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Murray caps rise to number one with Paris title

PARIS, France -- Andy Murray celebrated his new world number one ranking with a first Paris Masters title on Sunday after defeating American John Isner 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4 in the final.

Murray, 29, replaces Novak Djokovic at the top of the rankings on Monday and claimed his eighth title of a remarkable season after extending his winning run to 19 matches.

"This has been an incredible journey for me to get to the top of the rankings," said Murray, who will move 405 points above long-time rival Djokovic.

"Sometimes after you achieve something big or something that you maybe didn't expect, it can be quite easy to have a letdown and feel a little bit flat.

"I felt really nervous before the match today, and I was happy about that."

He added: "It would be nice to finish the year number one, but I'm happy that I managed to get there."

It is the Briton's fourth title in succession after wins in Beijing, Shanghai and Vienna and his 14th career Masters 1000 triumph.

Murray will next look to end Djokovic's four-year dominance at the November 13-20 Tour Finals in London.

For Isner, who finishes the season without a title for the first time since 2009, it was his third appearance in a Masters final after finishing runner-up at Indian Wells in 2012 and Cincinnati in 2013.

"I have to congratulate Andy, first for the title, and then for getting to number one in the world. That's an incredible achievement, you absolutely deserve it," said Isner.

"It's a good week for me. It's definitely disappointing. I certainly wasn't happy to be there today, getting to the finals, I wasn't happy about that.

"I wanted to win, and I expected to win. I just fell a little bit short."

- Eight in a row -

Murray entered his Tour-leading 12th final of the year having won all seven previous meetings with Isner, including straight-sets wins at Roland Garros in May and last week in Vienna.

The towering American had dropped serve just three times en route to the final but netted a routine volley to hand Murray break point in the fifth game.

His backhand then sailed long the following rally as Murray forged ahead, saving two break points on his ensuing service game before claiming the opening set.

Murray fought off four break points after rebounding from 0-40 at 3-4 in the second set, but Isner prevailed in the tie-break after a costly double fault from the second seed.

The Scot was then frustrated as he twice failed to convert break points during Isner's first two service games in the deciding set.

But Murray held firm and was rewarded when Isner faltered as he tried to stay in the match serving at 4-5 down.

The world number 27 dug himself out of a hole after trailing 0-30, but a backhand volley into the net presented Murray with match point.

Isner approached the net once more and Murray's return was again too hot to handle, leaving the new number one to hoist aloft the trophy.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com