Murray downs Aussie Kubler to reach Surbiton semis
Andy Murray has set his eyes on the Lexus Surbiton Trophy final after he beat Australian Jason Kubler to advance into the last four.
Murray fought back from a set down to beat Kubler 3-6 6-3 6-4 and showed signs of his best as the two-time Wimbledon champion progressed into the competition’s penultimate day for the second straight year.
The No.2 seed, who fell at the semi-final stage in 2022, credited his opponent after their two-hour battle which furthered Murray’s hopes of earning a seed for next month’s Wimbledon championships.
The 36-year-old said: “I knew it was going to be hard. He [Kubler] played well and has a lot of variety in his game and was one of the best juniors in the world but has had some problems with injuries.
“He has beaten some good players, he likes to play on this surface so I was not expecting an easy one. Having to come back from a set down against a player as good as him on these sorts of courts is a positive.
“I did fine, it was very windy and gusty a lot so tough to feel great when it is like that, but I did well in the important moments.
“Most of the tournaments you play on tour are in purpose-built facilities whereas coming here, you all love tennis and are probably members, so it’s always nice to play at clubs like this.
“It has been a good run so far and hopefully I can go a bit further than last year.”
Murray will face the defending champion Jordan Thompson in the semi-final.
But before then he needs to decide where he will play next week, with his options being the Rothesay Open in Nottingham or the Stuttgart Open.
The Briton enjoyed last year’s event in Germany, where he beat No.1 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and eventual Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios before losing to Italian Matteo Berrettini in the final.
He added: “I need to make a decision whether I will go to Nottingham or Stuttgart. There’s pros and cons to both, they’re both good decisions.
“There are higher rewards in Stuttgart and Nottingham there’s less travel and the courts are probably a little more similar to Queen’s and Wimbledon.
“I feel like I should be playing at the highest level that I can and competing on the tour is ultimately what I want to do.
“I liked the tournament in Stuttgart last year – I played really well there so I wish I could make a decision after the next couple of days, but it has to be tonight.”
