Andy Murray Returned after defeating world number 17 tommy paul 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 in the Aix-en-Provence Challenger Tour final on Sunday, earning her first title at any level since 2019.
The three-time major winner converted four of nine breakpoints to claim his first clay title since 2016, a boost for the 35-year-old who said he was determined to win despite early exits from Madrid and Monaco this month. Eventually hopes to play the French Open.
It was Murray’s third win over a top-20 player this year and the two-time Olympic gold medalist is expected to rise from 52 to 42 in the rankings after Sunday’s win.
“The last year, 18 months, struggled a bit with my game. But [my team] supporting me and working with me to get better,” Murray said. “We’re going from here.”
Paul, who lost Novak Djokovik In the semifinals of the Australian Open in January, she stumbled to a trio of double faults and was unable to establish a single breakpoint opportunity in the final two sets.
The Challenger Tour noted that Murray’s victory marked the longest gap ever between titles on the secondary circuit, with Murray having last won at Binghampton 17 years earlier.
