Former world No 1 Andy Murray looked back to his best on grass as he beat Nick Kyrgios 7-6, 6-2 to move into the final of the Stuttgart Open on Saturday after a second-set meltdown from the Australian.
The final is the 70th of Murray's career and his second of the year after a runner-up finish in Sydney in January. The 35-year-old will face second seed Matteo Berrettini, who is playing his first Tour-level final of the season.
There were some entertaining rallies in an absorbing opening set, while Kyrgios also got the crowd going with an underarm serve.
There was nothing to separate the two players but in the tiebreak, Kyrgios found the net on consecutive points and Murray eventually sealed the set on his serve.
"I was just a little bit more solid in the tiebreak, I made a lot of returns and asked the question of him in the tiebreak," Murray said.
"These courts, when it's playing quick like this, the sets come down to one or two points and I was a little bit more solid and secure in the end of the first set.
"Obviously, in the second set, Nick was very frustrated at the end of the first set and I didn't have to work as hard but the first set was high quality."
A frustrated Kyrgios broke his racket in anger and earned himself a point penalty after dropping the first set and he was still fuming when the second set got underway as double faults allowed Murray to break for the first time in the contest.
The Australian, who was constantly complaining to the umpire, then received a game penalty and he refused to continue playing, sitting in his chair until the supervisor came out and convinced him to finish the match.
But by then Kyrgios had lost his focus and made numerous errors as Murray quickly wrapped up the second set and sealed his spot in the final on his second match point when the Australian's return found the net.
"You're always kind of battling yourself as well as the opponent, it's one of the difficult things about individual sports," added Murray, who has not dropped a set in the tournament.
"Nick has the potential to be one of the best players in the world, there's absolutely no question about that. But yeah, he obviously got very frustrated in the second set and made it a lot easier for me.
"But look, I'm happy to be in the final. I've played well this week and I've got a great opportunity against Matteo."
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett
“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche
“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox
“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite
“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy
“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
FIXTURES
December 28
Stan Wawrinka v Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Milos Raonic v Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm
December 29 - semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Stan Wawrinka / Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Milos Raonic / Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm
December 30
3rd/4th place play-off, 5pm
Final, 7pm
Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.
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