Murray to face Wawrinka in Antwerp final

Andy Murray took a step closer to a remarkable first title since undergoing hip surgery with a 3-6 7-5 6-2 win over Ugo Humbert to reach the final of the European Open in Antwerp.

Former world No.1 Murray returned to singles action on the ATP Tour in August following a career-saving hip resurfacing surgery in January and will look to lift his first trophy since 2017 in Sunday’s final.

Standing in the 32-year-old’s Scot’s way is Swiss Stan Wawrinka, who swatted aside Italian teenager Jannik Sinner 6-3 6-2 to advance to the title clash.

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Murray will take inspiration from his better head-to-head record against Wawrinka, having won 11 of their 19 previous meetings, including the last one in Eastbourne a year ago.

Fellow three-time major winner Wawrinka also had surgery on his injured knee two years ago.

“Stan’s a brilliant player. We’ve played against each other in some big matches in the past in big tournaments,” Murray, whose hip issues proved troublesome during his French Open semifinal against Wawrinka two years ago, added.

“It was actually my match with him at the French Open when my hip problems really started. It was a tough five-set match… and my hip never really recovered from that, so it’s cool to be back playing against him in a final.

“He’s had his injury troubles as well the last couple of years and done great to get back to the top of the game.”

ANDY. IS. BACK ????@andy_murray reaches his first ATP Tour final since March 2017, defeating Humbert 3-6 7-5 6-2 at @EuroTennisOpen – setting up a blockbuster final with Stan Wawrinka! pic.twitter.com/BtrdBv5Mpb

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 19, 2019