Andy Murray vs. Nick Kyrgios: Score, Report from 2014 IPTL Philippines Clash

Andy Murray capped off a triumphant day for the Manila Mavericks on Sunday as the Scot sealed a 6-5 win over Nick Kyrgios in the final day of Philippines action. 

Kyrgios fought an impossible task in attempting to lead the Singapore Slammers to victory after his team fell too far behind in the day's earlier results. The official IPTL Twitter account confirmed the Mavericks' 27-19 overall win:

In keeping with what's been a running theme in Manila, charismatic play and character were in abundance from all those on display, and Kyrgios brought his own share of flair to the court on Sunday.

It paid off to begin with as the 19-year-old went 1-0 up, keeping Murray pegged to the baseline and utilising drop shots to his advantage:

However, it became a tactic that each player would familiarise himself with, and before long it was Murray applying pressure from both short and long range.

Given the setting of the encounter, Kyrgios seemed more concerned with entertainment value than clinching the result at times.

One particular highlight came in a stylish but effective through-the-legs shot from the Australian up-and-comer, which took Murray off guard and somehow managed to pull a crucial point back in the third game.

After starting so brightly, Kyrgios struggled to regain the lead, however, as Murray made full use of his cross-court angles, which were too tight for his opponent to return:

Nevertheless, the underdog refused to let Murray evade his grasp, pulling the score level at 3-3 with the kind of form that's earned him a mantle as one of the sport's most promising prospects.

Thanks to that perseverance—and assuredly helped by some powerful backhand play—Kyrgios took a two-game lead at 5-3:

The teenager's confidence wasn't lacking despite the level of his opposition, and Murray's own batch of unforced errors gave Kyrgios the break he needed.

Murray insisted on falling behind his baseline, while Kyrgios peppered away with drop-shot attempts, but on the Scot's serve, it was difficult for the latter to gain enough ground in making his way to the net.

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Murray forced the shootout, and after Kyrgios' mistakes led to a 3-0 lead for the Maverick, frustrations began to bubble to the fore in the youngster's play.

With the five-minute countdown ticking down, Kyrgios constantly had one eye on the clock, but Murray wasn't to be beaten in these circumstances. Despite his foe's hurried attempts to fight back, the Glaswegian ended the shootout on top of a fantastic rally, taking the final shootout point to win 7-5, per BBC Sport's Piers Newbery:

Had he not rushed himself at times, the Australian may have found some of the calm that had led him to challenge so fiercely in the opening exchanges, but it wasn't to be.

The Philippines crowd must have been overjoyed to see such a tight clash in the final fixture of the competition's Manila leg. We can only hope the drama is as intense when we pick up in Singapore on Tuesday.