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London Contenders Shrink As Race Tightens

Up to eight players could be in contention to battle for the final two spots at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals when the regular season concludes with the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris next week. As of Saturday night, with Ivo Karlovic and David Ferrer out of the Erste Bank Open 500 in Vienna, eight players are within mathematical reach of Marin Cilic, who holds the current minimum qualification points total of 2,890. That's down from 10 players on Friday because both Ferrer and Karlovic needed to win the Vienna title to stay in London contention. Additionally, Cilic, who reached the Basel final on Saturday to pass Tomas Berdych, could raise the bar to a minimum 3,090 points required...

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Brain Game: Murray's Impenetrable Shield Mightier Than The Sword

The relationship between forehands and backhands is very much like a sword and a shield. Generally, you attack with the forehand (sword) and defend with the backhand (shield), all the time looking to battle from more superior court positioning than your opponent. Andy Murray defeated Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6(1), 6-1 in the final of the Shanghai Rolex Masters by showcasing one of the most impenetrable shields in the sport. Bautista Agut constantly tested the Murray backhand with his own run-around forehand, but time and time again it was not a big enough weapon to inflict any damage. Bautista Agut’s Spanish style of play relies heavily on run-around forehands in the Ad Court, rifling them back cross court to his right-handed...

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