ATP World Tour Finals 2016 Results: Monday Tennis Scores and Updated Schedule
New world No. 1 Andy Murray started his ATP Tour Finals campaign in style on Monday, as he coasted to a 6-3, 6-2 win over Marin Cilic.
Murray entered the end-of-season showpiece as the favourite for glory following a scintillating run of form and was far too strong for Cilic in this tussle at the O2 Arena, London.
Earlier in the day, Kei Nishikori produced an imperious performance, beating an out-of-sorts Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2, 6-3.
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The man from Japan brought his best tennis to this showpiece event, bossing the contest against the U.S. Open champion to win in just 67 minutes. Wawrinka struggled with his serve throughout the match and will need to make huge improvements if he’s to succeed in the competition.
Here are the results from the ATP Finals on Monday and a look back at the best of the action.
| (5) Kei Nishikori bt. (3) Stanislas Wawrinka | 6-2, 6-3 |
| (1) Andy Murray vs. (7) Marin Cilic | 6-3, 6-2 |
| 1. | Kei Nishikori | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2. | Andy Murray | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 3. | Marin Cilic | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 4. | Stanislas Wawrinka | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1 | Milos Raonic | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | Novak Djokovic | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | Dominic Thiem | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Gael Monfils | 1 | 0 | 1 |
All scoring and scheduling information via the ATP World Tour's official website.
Monday Recap
Although most of those in attendance at the O2 Arena would have been there with a view to watching Murray, the contest between Nishikori and Wawrinka represented a fine appetiser.
The early exchanges set the tone for what was expected to be an even tussle, too, with Wawrinka carving out a couple of break points that were saved by his opponent. Letting those early opportunities slip would eventually prove crucial to the U.S. Open champion.
Indeed, there was no such profligacy when Nishikori got his chance to break with the score at 2-2, as Wawrinka netted a forehand; then, at 3-2 ahead, the Swiss continued to contribute to his own downfall, with two double-faults in the game giving the Japanese another break and the chance to serve for the set.
It was a chance Nishikori grasped, winning the opener 6-2. The Live Tennis Twitter feed summed up the issues the Swiss was facing with the ball in hand during the first set:
"Stats as #Nishikori takes the first set 6-2 - not good numbers for #Wawrinka on serve. Watch & bet on tennis at https://t.co/txueA5D56r pic.twitter.com/1Rb6hvYO6z
— Live Tennis (@livetennis) November 14, 2016"
As we can see, courtesy of the TennisTV Twitter feed, while Wawrinka was struggling, Nishikori was playing some majestic tennis:
For Wawrinka, the second set was a similar story. Again, break-point opportunities came and went for the three-time Grand Slam champion, but when the pressure was on, he couldn’t convert. And once again, at 2-2, he unravelled on serve, with Nishikori clinching the break after an excellent return.
Usually bristling with determination and vibrancy, at this juncture, Wawrinka was looking like a beaten man, with his opponent expertly consolidating the break, finding wonderful angles all over the court.
It was the control and composure of Nishikori that was really troubling Wawrinka on serve, and the Japanese conjured a match point after being 30-0 down. Almost fittingly, a well-aimed return from Nishikori was slapped long by the Swiss, gifting the former a perfect start to the event.
Afterward, Nishikori said he was pleased with his performance and outlined his ambitions for the rest of the tournament, per BBC Two (h/t BBC Sport):
"Today I was very solid from the first game and very confident. It wasn't easy against Stan because he hits a lot of slice and a variety of shots, but I played a good game today. ...
That is my goal for this week, to win matches and reach number three. I see the opportunity to go up the rankings and I've been playing well so I hope to keep it up.
"
Later in the day, plenty was expected of Murray in his first match as world No. 1 against a potentially awkward opponent in Cilic. However, the Scot dealt with the powerful Croatian with the swagger of the best player on the planet.
From the off, Murray was in the groove, holding his own serve before getting stuck into Cilic's, taking a 2-0 lead. And while Cilic did respond with a break of his own, Murray's returning was on point, and he took a 3-1 advantage.
Cilic settled down from that point and was much improved on his serve. However, Murray was imperious with the ball in hand and was comfortable in taking the opener 6-3.
At the start of the second, Cilic was able to dig in and even let an early break point slip. But the three-time Grand Slam champion improved as the stanza went on, and from 2-2, he won four successive games to clinch the match.
As noted by BBC Sport's Russell Fuller, Murray was more decisive than his opponent when the vital points came about:
"A big thank you for all of the support, it was an incredible atmosphere today," the 29-year-old winner said afterward, per BBC Sport. "I really appreciate it."
The world No. 1 will take on Nishikori next in what promises to be a fascinating battle. The Japanese star knocked Murray out of the U.S. Open earlier in the year and, as aforementioned, was in sparkling form in his opener against Wawrinka.
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