Andy Murray finishes his year with a win over Milos Raonic in Abu Dhabi
Saturday 31 December 2016 15:26, UK
Newly-knighted Andy Murray has finished third at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships in Abu Dhabi after a 6-3 7-6 (10-8) win over Canada's Milos Raonic.
Murray had been beaten by David Goffin in his semi-final on Friday but the world No 1 bounced back with a win in the third-place play-off.
The match pitted Murray against a man who he had defeated in seven previous matches during the 2016 season, including the finals at Queen's and Wimbledon, plus an epic semi at the ATP World Tour Finals.
And Murray made a superb start to the match, powering into a 4-0 lead before Raonic had found his feet.
The big-serving Canadian was much more of a force in set two and recovered to force a tie-break after dropping his serve.
And the duo then fought out a keenly contested breaker, Murray eventually taking it 10-8 after producing a backhand winner on match point.
Murray told the BBC: "I still feel like Andy Murray - that feels more normal - but I am happy with the knighthood and it is a nice way to start the new year.
"It was good to finish the year with a win. It was a good match to work on returns, as Milos has a strong serve."
Rafa Nadal ended an injury-plagued 2016 on a high by lifting the title for a fourth time.
The 30-year-old defeated 11th-ranked Belgian David Goffin 6-4 7-6 (7-5) in their first meeting.
"I'm very happy to return to competition again. These three days have been good for me. These three days, playing at this level, are going to stand me in good stead for the rest of the season," said Nadal.
The Spaniard will now head to Australia for the Brisbane International, with Goffin travelling to Doha for the Qatar Open.
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