Andy Murray won two Masters 1000 championships in 2011, matching his previous three seasons, at Cincinnati and Shanghai. He became the seventh player to win at least eight Masters 1000 titles.
Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic were not in Shanghai that year. Rafael Nadal was eliminated in the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year.
It left the final match between Andy Murray and David Ferrer wide open. Murray won 7-5, 6-4 in an hour and 46 minutes to prolong his Shanghai reign.
Murray defeated Ferrer for the fifth time in eight meetings, and the fourth time in a row, all on hard courts.
The Briton dominated the first serve, and despite some difficulties on the second. He only had four break chances and was broken twice.
Ferrer was playing in his third Masters 1000 final. But he couldn’t find the first serve or a method to outplay Andy.
Serving at only 44% and missing nearly half of the points behind the first shot, losing serve four times out of nine attempts.
Andy Murray had more winners and fewer unforced errors than David, outlasting him in both short and long rallies to win in straight sets.
Murray had a break after ten minutes and five deuces to edge ahead when Ferrer fired a forehand long. And the two excellent baseliners were off to a tough battle from the first point.
After Andy’s poor backhand in game two, David answered with a break and held at 15 with a forehand drive winner to go up 2-1.
Murray hit three service winners in the fourth game and held at love at 2-3 to keep the score in his favour.
Following that, both players served effectively in the following games. Andy grabbed four points in a row to score a break after David’s costly double fault in the 11th game.
Murray hit two aces in the first set to win 7-5 after 55 minutes and give himself a huge advantage for the rest of the match, as per reports on CBC.
In 2011, Andy Murray defeated David Ferrer to defend his Shanghai title
The Spaniard’s bad luck continued as he sprayed a forehand error at the start of the second set.
Murray, like in the first set, could not maintain his lead for long. Missing a straightforward forehand in the second game and allowing David to come back into contention.
Nonetheless, Andy moved 2-1 ahead with a brilliant forehand lob winner. And he clinched the break with a service winner to get closer to the finish line.
Murray, who was flying over the court at the time, got another break point in the fifth game with a backhand winner that may have broken Ferrer’s resistance.
David salvaged the game and brought it home to stay within one break of the lead.
In game six, Andy held at love, and David showed off his abilities in the one that followed to keep the enemy at bay.
With a spectacular backhand crosscourt winner, the Spaniard fended off a break opportunity and survived another tough game.
Murray extended his lead with a smash winner in the eighth game. And after Ferrer’s strong service game, he served for the victory at 5-4.
A service winner and a forced error were enough for the Briton to cross the finish line and claim his second consecutive Shanghai title. Ecstatic to have finished the match without having to fight any longer against such a tenacious opponent.
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