Andy Murray wins his first clay court title at the BMW Munich Open
Andy Murray beat Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-6 (4), 5-7, 7-6 (4) in a rain interupted final to capture his first clay court title in Munich.
The first set was evenly contested as both players served brilliantly not giving their opponent a break point opportunity. It was Murray who prevailed in the tie-breaker after the German committed a couple of unforced errors at the tail end of the set. Both Murray and Kohlschreiber won 36 points in the opening set. The Brit hit 9 aces to Kohlschreiber’s 4.
The second set saw 3 breaks of serve with Kohlschreiber winning it 7-5 after he broke World No. 3 for the second time in the eleventh game. The home crowd were right behind Kohlschreiber as he looked to win his second Munich title.
The third set was reminiscent of the opening set with neither player ready to give in. It was World No. 24 who squandered a break point opportunity and the set went to a tie-breaker. It was a fitting end to this match that saw both players serve at a high level for over 3 hours.
Murray got couple of mini-breaks and did not look back as he took the breaker 7-4. It was tough to separate the two in total points won in the match as well. Murray won 117 points and Kohlschreiber won 118.
The top seed was elated with the win. “This was my first final on clay. To come out and play a match like that... I am very pleased to have won”, he said.
It is Murray’s 32nd title and his first on clay. The duo could meet in the second round of the Madrid Masters if Kohlschreiber could get the better of qualifier Alejandro Falla in the first round.
Murray became the first Brit player since Buster Mottram in 1976 to win a title on clay.