Murray back in action as he targets climb up rankings

Published on Sunday 1 November 2009 22:40

ANDY Murray's bid to climb back up the world rankings following a spell on the sidelines with a wrist injury begins this week at the Valencia Open.

The Scot, who has not played at a ranking tournament since his fourth-round defeat to Croatian Marin Cilic at the US Open in September, will return to competitive action when he faces Spanish wildcard Daniel Gimeno-Traver – world ranked 75.

Since taking time out Murray has seen his career-high ranking of second in the world slip away, with the 22-year-old being overtaken by Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, putting him fourth in current the standings.

Murray will start as the top seed in Valencia – which is hosting an indoor tournament for the first time after it was moved from its position as a spring clay-court event in the 2009 schedule – and has never faced the 24-year-old Gimeno-Traver before.

Following the tournament in Spain, Murray will finish the season by playing at this month's Paris Masters and the ATP World Tour Finals in London.

The close proximity of the season-ending tournament at the O2 Arena ensures Murray some hot competition in Valencia with Nikolay Davydenko, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Fernando Verdasco, Gilles Simon and Gael Monfils among those competing in Spain who are all in contention for the two remaining places at the Finals.

Elsewhere, world No1 Roger Federer will be in action in his native country when he vies for the Swiss Indoors title in Basel.

Federer will have to contend with a strong field with world No3 Djokovic among those competing alongside Chile's world No11 Fernando Gonzalez and Marin Cilic of Croatia, currently ranked 13th in the ATP standings.

For Federer, the Basel event will also signal a first competitive appearance since the US Open – where he lost in the final to Argentine Juan Martin del Potro.

"I've been back practicing and training now for some time and all is going well," said three-time defending champion Federer.

"I feel much better. I'm looking forward to playing my hometown tournament."

&#149 Qualifier Sergiy Stakhovsky saved a match point as he edged out Horacio Zeballos to claim victory at the St Petersburg Open. The Ukrainian became the third qualifier this year to win an ATP World Tour title as he ground out a 2-6, 7-6 (10/8), 7-6 (9/7) victory.

Stakhovsky, 23, won his only previous main tour title in Zagreb last year and he needed to dig deep after first-time finalist Zeballos raced through the opening set.

But the eighth-seeded Argentinian was pegged back in the second and then could not take advantage of a match point in the deciding tie-break as Stakhovsky sealed victory with a backhand volley.