Andy Murray battles past Stanislas Wawrinka to win the European Open

Andy Murray, on Sunday, defeated World No.18 Stanislas Wawrinka in the European Open final. The former World No.1's comeback from surgery continued in full flow after he registered his first ATP singles title since 2017. Murray came from a set down to beat Wawrinka 3-6 6-4 6-4.

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Andy Murray: Against All Odds

Early on it seemed like Andy Murray would fall short of a perfect ending. Former World No.3 Stan Wawrinka played aggressive tennis from the baseline keeping Murray at the bay. Murray who was playing for the fourth consecutive singles day, after three-setters in both the quarterfinal and semifinal, seemed to run out of steam. But Murray’s trademark resilience was back as he weathered the storm to come back from a set down to win the title.  

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Andy Murray’s win in Antwerp was his first since the Dubai Championship 2017, at which time he was World No.1. He went through a career-threatening hip surgery in January. Since his comeback in August, he has played six tournaments but has never been past the quarters. The world No. 243, Murray, has improved as this ATP 250 event wore on to become the lowest-ranked ATP Tour champion since No. 355 Pablo Andujar in Marrakech last year.

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"It means a lot. The past few years have been extremely difficult. Both me and Stan have had a lot of injury problems in the past couple of years. Amazing to be back playing against him in a final like that. I think it was a great match," Murray said on court after his victory. "I didn't expect to be in this position at all, so I'm very happy."

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Stanislas Wawrinka himself was looking for his first title since undergoing two left knee surgeries in 2017. With both players holding their end, playing out a thriller, it seems like they are well and truly back from their respective injuries troubles to their best. This was the second time that Andy Murray claimed an ATP Tour crown by winning his quarter-final, semi-final and championship match in a deciding set. The other instance was the 2016 Fever-Tree Championships.