Murray, Djokovic set up Sunday shootout at ATP finals

The agony on his serve continued for Nishikori in the second set, getting broken for the 4th time since the start of the match, having only 3 game points in those games (all 3 in one game).

The 29-year-old mouthed the words “big heart” toward his team when he finally took his third match point Saturday.

With the win, the top-ranked Murray advanced to the final of the tournament where he will face the victor of the other semifinal between Kei Nishikori and Novak Djokovic.

Murray will pit his 23-match unbeaten run, a new career high, against Djokovic’s awesome record of having won 22 of his last 23 matches at the O2 Arena.

Murray said: “You can only beat the players that are in front of you”. And this year when I’ve played him, I’ve created a few opportunities in the matches. The 7th game produced the biggest drama in the match, Kei had 2 break points that Djokovic neutralized with 2 aces, and Belgrade native converted his 3rd set point to win the opener 6-1. I managed to get the break late in the set.

“It was an awesome atmosphere, the longer the match went on the louder and better the crowd get”. Murray had played and won a lot of matches.

“(It was) a pretty wonderful tiebreak”, Murray said in his on-court interview. I just did everything I could, everything that was within me, at least to try to win.

World number one Murray progressed from the John McEnroe group with a 100% record, seeing off Stanislas Wawrinka in his final round robin match to book his place in the semi-finals. In previous years, he might well have faltered but the confidence from winning so many matches has unquestionably helped him at such moments. After his 3hr 38min victory over Milos Raonic, Murray was barely able to drag himself off court. “I hope we get a great final”.

Murray, who plunged into an ice bath after surviving his grueling battle, including saving a match point, also spent three hours 20 minutes beating Nishikori on Wednesday.

His resistance cracked two games later as a exhausted double fault gave Raonic the chance to serve for the set, which he took on his third set point.

However, the world number five eased off in the second set and Cilic made the most of that opening to break twice on his way to the second set.

When Murray dumped a forehand into the net to give Raonic a break in the third game of the second set, he looked in deep trouble.

This time his recovery was less down to his own brilliance than a dip from his opponent, who played a terrible game and was broken to love.

Raonic was up a set and a break on Murray in this one as well.

Djokovic has a winning 24-10 record against Murray, including victory in their last meeting in the French Open final in June.

For three hours and 38 minutes he had given everything he had – and some reserves not even he imaged were left – to beat the huge Canadian with the massive serve 5-7, 7-6, 7-6.

The tiebreak remained close, with Murray wasting several match points and Raonic also falling short, but an unforced error decided the match. If that happens, both elite players will not only fight for the ATP World Tour Finals trophy but for the top rank in ATP Men’s Singles.