World No.2 Novak Djokovic saved five championship points to beat Andy Murray in the final of the Shanghai Masters Sunday.
The 5-7, 7-6(11), 6-3 win brought a maiden Shanghai crown for the Serbian tennis star, who captured his second title in as many weeks after beating Jo-Wifried Tsonga in Beijing final last week.
It was also one of the most dramatic comeback victories of his illustrious career.
Murray served for the match at 5-4 in the second set, but the dogged Djokovic broke serve after winning Murray’s championship point, taking the set to a tie-break.
Djokovic, who lost to Murray in the Olympics semi-final and the final of the US Open, went on to save an incredible four more championship points to win the tie-break 13-11.
With the Scot morally defeated, Djokovic took the final set 6-3 for the title and to go 9-7 up in head-to-head meetings.
To reach the final, Murray completed a 6-4, 6-4 victory over top seed Roger Federer, while Djokovic saw off Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-4.
Earlier Sunday, Leander Paes of India and his Czech partner Radek Stepanek beat India’s Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna for the doubles tennis title at the Shanghai Masters Sunday.
The fourth seeds claimed a 6-7(7-9), 6-3, 10-5 comeback victory over the Indian duo, seeded seventh.
The Indian/Czech tandem saved four of the five break points they faced and broke their opponents twice to claim victory in one hour and 36 minutes. Paes and Stepanek won 50 percent of points on Bhupathi/Bopanna’s second serve and won 70 percent of their own service points.
“Today was a bit more of a personal match for us three Indians,” Paes was quoted as saying by ATP website.
“Radek came in and he made it fun for me. He relaxed, laughed, joked. Said, ‘stay smooth, relaxed and have a hungry intensity’.”
