Andy Murray wins thriller against Kohlschreiber in Dubai

A drained-looking Andy Murray acknowledges the Dubai crowd after his remarkable victory over German Phillipp Kohlschreiber. Picture: Karim Sahib/AFP/Getty Images

The world No 1 lost his first set of the tournament and saved seven match points in the second set before recovering to see off the German 6-7 (4/7) 7-6 (20/18) 6-1 in little under three hours.

Following a delayed start due to rain, Murray missed several early break points before two double faults in the tiebreak swung the opening set in favour of the world No 29.

Murray recovered quickly, forcing an early break in the second set but was unable to cope with some stunning groundstrokes from Kohlschreiber, who effectively hit the Scot off the court to force a second tie-break.

The 33-year-old missed out on seven match points before Murray snatched a dramatic tiebreak 20-18 after around half an hour as Kohlschreiber hit wide.

Murray coasted through the decisive set with Kohlschreiber unable to maintain his high standard, with the top seed breaking early to establish control before sealing a place in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, Aljaz Bedene’s latest attempt to overturn his Davis Cup ban has been rejected by an arbitrator.

The 27-year-old has been fighting to represent Great Britain in the competition since 2015 when the International Tennis Federation introduced rules barring players from competing for two different countries. Because Bedene, who became a British citizen in 2015, previously played for his native Slovenia, he has not been eligible for Leon Smith’s side.

After appeals to the ITF and then its board were denied, Bedene and the Lawn Tennis Association took the case to Sport Resolutions. But arbitrator Charles Hollander QC ruled forthe governing body.

Bedene has lived in Hertfordshire since 2008 and is the current British No 4 with a ranking of 104.