Andy Murray boosted his chances of making the ATP World Tour Finals on Sunday when he defeated Spain’s David Ferrer 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 to claim the Austrian Open for his 30th career title.
The hard-fought victory in two hours, 41 minutes sent the Scot to eighth spot in the points race for the London season-ending finale, which begins in three weeks.
The 27-year-old Murray is the third Briton to clinch the Vienna crown after Greg Rusedski and Tim Henman won back-to-back in 1999 and 2000. He received €94,500 (Dh442,860) in prize money.
Murray and Ferrer were the No 2 and No 1 seeds, respectively, in Vienna and were both playing the event on a wild card.
They were just a few points apart this week in the race to grab one of the last three places at the eight-man season finale but victory has pushed Murray's advantage over Ferrer to 110 points.
"It always feels great to win a title," said Murray, who lost to Ferrer in three sets at the Shanghai Masters last week.
“This was an extremely difficult match. He deserved to win the first set, I deserved the second and the third could have gone either way. I’m lucky I just managed to pull it off.”
The final set featured seven breaks of serve and Murray took victory when a serve was ruled an ace by electronic line calling.
Ferrer and Murray will both head to Valencia in Spain for next week’s competition.
Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic have already booked their places for London. Murray trails US Open finalist Kei Nishikori and Stockholm winner Tomas Berdych.
“It’s the same for both of us, we’ve had very close matches,” Murray said. “Whoever qualifies for London will deserve it.”
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
