Playing in his first match as World No. 1, Andy Murray brushed aside Marin Cilic at the ATP World Tour Finals on Monday.
Murray won four consecutive tournaments to replace Novak Djokovic at the top of the rankings and showed his determination to remain there at the end of the year as he beat Cilic 6-3 6-2 at the O2 Arena.
The home favourite has never reached the final of the glitzy season-ending tournament, but showed his class after an unconvincing start to win his Group opener in an hour and a half.
Cilic, who hit form late in the season to earn his place in the lucrative event for a second time, was no match for the top seed and made too many errors after showing early signs that he may be capable of troubling Murray.
The seventh seed, sporting a daring pair of shorts more suited to the beach than the tennis court, earned two break points in the opening game with a couple of fizzing forehand winners, but Murray was able to hold and took a 2-0 lead when the 2014 US Open winner netted a forehand.
A stray forehand from Murray enabled Cilic to break straight back, but Murray raised his game and did not relinquish his advantage after taking a 3-1 lead, winning a scrappy opening set when his Croatian opponent missed a backhand return.
A forehand winner put the three-time Grand Slam singles champion a break up in the second and another sublime winner put the Brit on the brink of victory at 5-2, enabling him to serve out the match to love in the final game to gain revenge for a Cincinnati Masters final defeat back in August.
ACES
Murray - 3
Cilic - 4
BREAK POINTS WON
Murray - 4/5
Cilic - 1/5
FIRST SERVE PERCENTAGE
Murray - 53
Cilic - 51
PERCENTAGE OF POINTS WON ON FIRST/SECOND SERVE
Murray - 74/59
Cilic - 65/41
TOTAL POINTS
Murray - 60
Cilic - 43
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