Beijing: Andy Murray beat Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets to win the China Open on Sunday as he closes in on Novak Djokovic’s No. 1 ranking.
The world No. 2 did not drop a set as he romped through the tournament to claim his fifth title of the year and 40th of his career with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) win.
The victory moves Murray 1,000 points closer to long-reigning world No. 1 Djokovic, with the chance of taking the top spot by year-end.
In the women’s final, Agnieszka Radwanska beat Johanna Konta in straight sets to take the title, her third crown of the season.
The third-ranked Pole, who cruised through the tournament without dropping a set, sealed her second title in Beijing with an ace for a 6-4, 6-2 win.
Murray broke Dimitrov’s serve in the opening game of the match, putting the 15th-ranked Bulgarian on the defensive and pushing him to make 21 unforced errors in the opening set.
In the second set, both held their serve through the first four games until Murray broke Dimitrov at 3-2.
It looked like the Scot would serve for the championship but the unseeded Bulgarian won the next 11 points, breaking Murray to love.
Pushed to a tiebreak, the Scot immediately seized back control, taking the first point of the decider on Dimitrov’s serve.
Murray stormed through the tiebreak, dropping just two points to claim his first title in the Chinese capital.
After dropping her serve twice in each set, Britain’s Konta tried to even the scoreline in the second, pushing Radwanska to two break points in the sixth game.
But the Pole — nicknamed the Magician for her ability to conjure up shots — shot a forehand down the line to save her service game.
Konta held the next with a forehand dropshot that Radwanska redirected wide.
But the Pole then served for the title, firing her only ace of the match straight down the line for her third Premier Mandatory title, one rung down from a Grand Slam.
