Murray In Final Reckoning

British number one Andy Murray is through to the final of the Australian Open but only after surviving a few significant scares before progressing 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-1 7-6 (7-2) against David Ferrer . The Scot was already a set down when he faced a break point at 4-5 in the second that would have doubled the deficit - not that Murray was aware how perilous his situation was!

‘I actually thought it was 4-3 - just before the umpire called it 5-5,’ he told BBC Sport. That’s one way of reducing the pressure. But this was to be as bad as it got for the British fans as the world number four stamped his authority on the subsequent tie-break to level things up. It was a critical moment that was to prove pivotal as it prompted Murray to steamroll his way to the third set by a convincing 6-1 margin.

The Spaniard, Ferrer, is far from a soft touch though. Ranked seven in the world himself he dug deep to take set four to another tie-break that had the potential to level things once again while pushing the momentum back in his favour. But Murray was to show his class when it was most needed again to romp to another 7-2 tie-break victory that secured the match. He’s now best priced at 11/8 with Victor Chandler to beat Novak Djokovic and win the title.