Andy Murray will play Tommy Paul within the ultimate of the ATP Challenger occasion in Aix-en-Provence on Sunday after beating Harold Mayot in straight units.
Murray, who took a late wildcard entry, received his semi-final 7-5 6-1 towards 21-year-old Mayot, the fourth consecutive French participant he had confronted.
In doing so, Britain’s three-time Grand Slam champion, 35, assured a return to the highest 50 of the world rankings.
American Paul, the highest seed, beat Belgium’s David Goffin 6-4 6-2.
“[It will be] an ideal problem for me,” Murray mentioned. “Tommy has had an ideal yr thus far, taking part in one of the best tennis of his profession.
“He is performed nicely this week additionally. He is a superb athlete. My recreation, I believe, is in a superb place. I really feel like I’ve performed significantly better the final couple matches. [I] hope for an additional good efficiency tomorrow.”
Murray is in search of a primary title since Antwerp in 2019 as he gears as much as make what could be solely his second French Open look in six years when the Grand Slam begins on 28 Might.
He entered this second-tier match to get extra clay-court match time after first-round exits from Monte Carlo and Madrid in April.
In a good first set, Murray did not convert two break factors earlier than Mayot handed the Scot the benefit with a double-fault on set level.
Having received seven successive video games, Murray missed two match factors at 5-0 up within the second however finally sealed the win on the fifth time of asking.
Ought to he beat Paul on Sunday, he’ll win a Challenger title for the primary time in 18 years and can return to the highest 50 for the primary time since January when the rankings are revealed subsequent week.
It’s his second ultimate of the yr, having misplaced to Daniil Medvedev in Doha in February.
