Andy Murray Beats Jordan Thompson To Reach Final In Surbiton Trophy 2023
Andy Murray reached his first singles final on British soil in almost seven years by beating Jordan Thompson in straight sets at the Surbiton Trophy.
Murray, 36, came through a tricky test against the Australian but saw off the defending champion 7-6 (7-5) 6-3.
He meets Austria’s Jurij Rodionov over three sets in Sunday’s final.
Murray’s most recent British singles final appearance was in 2016 when he beat Novak Djokovic in the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London.
“It was a very, very tight first set but I improved a bit in the second set, served well and started hitting the ball better from the back of the court so hopefully I can continue that in the final,” Murray said.
“To get the opportunity to play in the final tomorrow will be great. I’m obviously looking forward to that – it’s been a while since I’ve won a tournament on home soil and hopefully I can do that tomorrow.”
Sunday’s final will be streamed live from 14:00 BST on BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and app and the BBC Red Button.
Murray skipped the French Open to prioritise his grass-court preparations and attempt to amass ranking points in a bid to be seeded at Wimbledon.
To that end, he has also entered next week’s Nottingham Open, live on the BBC, as a wildcard.
Before then, the world number 43 has the opportunity to claim a second ATP Challenger Tour title in as many months, following his win over Tommy Paul in Aix-en-Provence in May.
His opponent in the final, world number 132 Rodionov, enjoyed a more serene semi-final victory, outclassing Belgium’s Zizou Bergs 6-2 6-4 later on Saturday.
Murray, meanwhile, was pushed all the way by Thompson in a high-quality opening set, with the world number 71 winning 11 of 12 points in a three-game burst to cancel out the Scot’s early break of serve.
However, the former world number one edged an enthralling tie-break and then claimed a crucial break in a controversial start to the second set.
Thompson wanted a point replayed after a spectator shouted out during play but the umpire ruled Murray’s winner legal and – after a freak, short rain delay amid otherwise glorious sunshine – he broke serve.
The Australian lost his way thereafter as Murray broke the Thompson serve twice more, albeit while also dropping his own serve once, to seal victory.
Swan earns chance to become British number one
In the women’s event, Katie Swan – who will replace the injured Emma Raducanu as British number one if she wins the title – will meet Belgium’s Yanina Wickmayer in Sunday’s final.
The 24-year-old, who beat top seed Tatjana Maria in the last eight, dropped just one game as she took only an hour to comfortably defeat compatriot Lily Miyazaki 6-1 6-0.
“Today was probably one of the best matches I’ve played in my career – it was near perfect,” Swan said. “I am really happy I was able to produce that and I can’t wait to play in the final tomorrow.”
Hopes of an all-British final were ended by Katie Boulter’s 6-3 6-2 defeat by 33-year-old Wickmayer in Saturday’s second semi.
Boulter would have been guaranteed to depose Raducanu at the top of the British rankings had she reached the final but that chance now falls to Swan.
