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| Murray has won more titles this year than any other player on the tour [AFP] |
Andy Murray marked the start of London's five-year hosting of the ATP Tour Finals with a 6-3 3-6 6-2 win over US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro in front of 17,500 fans at the O2 Arena.
Del Potro ruefully joked that the size of his nose was the problem against the Scot.
Murray withstood a ferocious comeback by the Argentine, who lost the opening five games, to open his account in Group A which also contains world number one Roger Federer and Fernando Verdasco.
"He didn't start particularly well but after 5-0 I thought the standard was very good," Murray, who has won more titles this season than any other player on Tour, said.
"He's got a big serve, long reach and goes for huge shots. You just have to try and get through it. Tactically I've always been fairly good so I found a way through today."
Spaceship
London's spaceship-like O2 Arena, formerly known as the Millennium Dome, is more used to welcoming the world's greatest pop stars, and there was plenty of razzamatazz and glitz as the $5million ATP season climax got under way with hardly an empty seat in the house.
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"I have a big nose, that's the problem"
Argentine world no5 Juan Martin del Potro
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Led Zeppelin blared out of the sound system and spotlights punctured the darkened arena as the two walked out to begin the sixth instalment of what many predict will become one of the fiercest rivalries in men's tennis.
Del Potro, a year younger than the 22-year-old Murray but already one-up on the Scot in the Grand Slam stakes after his stunning victory over Federer in the Flushing Meadows final in September, carved out a break point in a messy opening game but then fell away alarmingly.
The forehand that battered Federer into submission in New York failed to ignite and a mid-set nosebleed hardly helped his cause as Murray reached set point at 5-0 after 25 minutes.
"I have a big nose, that's the problem," a glum Del Potro said after although some of his baseline play from there on should give him confidence that he can still progress.
Claw back
Things began to change as Del Potro found his timing to claw it back to 3-5 and, although Murray finally clinched the opener on his seventh set point, the tide had turned in the giant South American's favour.
Del Potro broke serve twice in the second set and after softening up Murray with some punishing inside out forehands that Murray could merely slice back defensively he levelled the match with an unstoppable crosscourt effort.
As quickly as it had sparked into life, however, Del Potro's challenge withered and world number four Murray won the third set surprisingly comfortably after breaking in the second game.
Group B action opens on Monday when Rafael Nadal, who can still beat Federer to the year-end world number one ranking, faces Swede Robin Soderling and Novak Djokovic takes on Nikolay Davydenko.
Fed express
Later on Sunday, world number one Roger Federer started slowly but finished like an express train as he beat Fernando Verdasco 4-6 7-5 6-1 in his opening match.
Spaniard Verdasco deservedly won his first-ever set against the Swiss as Federer sprayed errors early on and he had a glimmer of a chance at 5-5 in the second before the match swung.
Federer broke Verdasco in the 12th game of the second set and quickly raced away to victory.
Verdasco, making his debut at the tournament, capitulated tamely in the end and will need to beat Juan Martin del Potro in his second Group A match to keep his hopes of reaching the semi-finals alive.
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