Andy Murray won his first ATP Challenger Tour title since 2005 as he defeated American tennis player Tommy Paul in the match at Aix-en-Provence.
Andy Murray overcame a slow start to triumph at the ATP Challenger Tour 175 event. In front of a packed stadium in southern France, the Scot found consistency from the baseline to rally to a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory against Paul at the Open Aix Provence Credit Agricole.
It marked Murray’s second final of the year after he was beaten by Daniil Medvedev in Doha in February. It is Murray’s first title of any kind since claiming the ATP 250 event in Antwerp in 2019. Murray climbed to No. 42 in the ATP Live Rankings thanks to his efforts in France.
A three-time major champion, Murray’s victory in Aix-en-Provence is his first clay-court title at any level since winning the Rome ATP Masters 1000 event in 2016. The former World No. 1 won 68 percent of his second-serve points, compared to 47 percent for Paul. Murray earned nine break points in the match, converting four of them to triumph after one hour and 55 minutes. “This last year, 18 months, has been a bit of a struggle with my game. But [my team] has been there supporting me and working with me to try and get better,” Murray said on the court.